"A Theory of Everyone" - Michael Muthukrishna's new book on the laws of life

Michael Muthukrishna, speaker at the Dürnstein 2020 symposium "Inheritances: Culture, Nature and Identity", already addressed the question of how the laws of life might work in his contribution "The Evolution of Culture and Religion". 

In his book "A Theory of Everyone", London-based business psychologist Michael Muthukrishna raises fascinating questions. Growing up in the midst of political upheaval in Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea and South Africa, he wondered if there were fundamental principles that could help us understand policy patterns, explain the prosperity of countries and understand the outbreak of war or peace. 

Muthukrishna claims that the social sciences are undergoing a revolution, comparable to the physics of Newton or Einstein. By linking theories of human behaviour and social evolution, it is possible to identify the fundamental "laws of life".

The first of these laws is the law of energy: according to Muthukrishna, energy is the most important quality in the universe. Periods of energy abundance promote co-operation, new ideas and institutions, while energy scarcity leads to more competition and conflict.

The discovery of fossil fuels triggered an energy surplus and fuelled the industrial revolution. But Muthukrishna believes that this abundance is ending and that political polarisation and the insecurity of Western democracies point to energy scarcity. He argues in favour of promoting new energy sources such as nuclear fusion to avoid crises.

Muthukrishna's "Theory of Everyone" explores the complex interplay between energy, co-operation and evolution.

Here is an article on the book in: "The Guardian"