ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
OUR AIM IN THIS BOOK was to extend the arguments being made across the sciences about the deep nature of systems and people to the civic sphere. It’s our strong belief that these new insights will ultimately radically reshape politics, economics, and our theory of government.
As such, if we’ve made a contribution at all, it is one of synthesis and interpretation, not original scholarship. Without the scholarship and research of many other people, this book would have been impossible.
No one was more influential in this regard than our friend Eric Beinhocker, author of The Origin of Wealth. Eric’s work was essential to our thinking. His patience with our questions and his shaping of our manuscript were above and beyond the call of duty.
We were deeply influenced by conversations with many other scholars. Jenna Bednar, Francis Fukuyama, Jon Haidt, Mike Lind, Jeff Madrick, Scott Page, Rafe Sagarin, and Michael Sandel made us see things in new ways. We may not have followed their counsel fully but we always benefited from it greatly.
Our friends in the world of politics and ideas were also enormously helpful. Rob Stein has been a great mentor to us both. He and Jabe Blumenthal, Bob Borosage, Bill Budinger, Jon Cowan, Alan Durning, Ed Lazowska, Tara McGuinness, Jen Palmieri, Andy Rich, Jeremy Rosner, and Michael Tomasky sharpened our thinking and were all wonderfully critical of our early drafts.
Our amazing designer Deborah Brown not only shaped the look and feel of this book but also suggested its title! Our flexible and adept publisher at Sasquatch Books, Gary Luke, made publication a breeze. Both were our partners in The True Patriot, which preceded this book, and we’re grateful the partnership continues.
Finally, to Leslie Hanauer and Jena Cane, and to our children, we give deepest appreciation for putting up with our constant antics with great patience and love.
