Beyond the Culture of Contest

Beyond the Culture of Contest by Michael Robert Karlberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is simply amazing in its analysis and commentary on the current state of the world. Looking at the economic, political and legal systems, how they're tied together and essentially run by money, creating an unsustainable society.

The culture of contest raises us in a mindset that normalizes adversarialism, conflict and contest, and looking at other ways of organizing society and world seems unrealistic and naive at best. Although the current culture of contest has led us to where it has, and we have made many advancements, looking at all the current problems in the world - environment, political and social instability, etc. - it is clear that continuing in this way is not viable, and a new order is needed.

An interesting analysis is made in the last chapter, where a suggestion is made on how to overturn the current order. Michael Karlberg mentions playing a different cultural game and not buy into the culture of contest - the rules are set up so that the ones with the most money will win in the long run - so the mode of operation is to play a different game, and win by attrition. As more and more people will switch over to play a different cultural game of mutualism, support and cooperation, the old order will slowly fall.

Of course, doing all of this is not easy, but we have to start somewhere.



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