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"Team Human is a manifesto--a fiery distillation of preeminent digital theorist Douglas Rushkoff's most urgent thoughts on civilization and human nature. In one hundred lean and incisive statements, he argues that we are essentially social creatures, and that we achieve our greatest aspirations when we work together--not as individuals. Yet today society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect. Money, once a means of exchange, is now a means of exploitation; education, conceived as way to elevate the working class, has become another assembly line; and the internet has only further divided us into increasingly atomized and radicalized groups. Team Human delivers a call to arms. If we are to resist and survive these destructive forces, we must recognize that being human is a team sport. In Rushkoff's own words: "Being social may be the whole point." Harnessing wide-ranging research on human evolution, biology, and psychology, Rushkoff shows that when we work together we realize greater happiness, productivity, and peace. If we can find the others who understand this fundamental truth and reassert our humanity--together--we can make the world a better place to be human."--Page [1].… (more)
User reviews
The book is divided
With such a title, you might wonder—who is the other team? Rushkoff is careful not to choose just one, using the title more to evoke a "we're-all-in-this-together"-spirit. But if I had to choose just one, I would call it the machine. By no means is this a new analogy; the mystic G. I. Gurdjieff was fighting the machine within each of us a century ago. Familiar threads weave together the tapestry of this book; Rushkoff is aiming to create memes (even devoting a section to them), and prefers to rely on familiar concepts that will lend themselves to mainstream adoption, instead of seeking out new metaphors.
The book follows a familiar structure—speaking in the beginning to the conception of humanity and our tribalistic nature, moving into the forces shaping our societal moment (economics, artificial intelligence), concluding with a call to arms. During this circuit he touches on some issues close to my heart, such as alternative economics and regenerative agriculture. Many a reader will likely find issues to which they can relate.
For those of us shaping the world with our work and participation in larger systems (which is, all of us), this is a great book to get you thinking about ways that we can bring humanity back into our lives, before it is too late.
It's worth noting that this book is only the latest installment in Rushkoff's "Team Human" project, having produced a podcast featuring over one-hundred guests over the past few years. It will be interesting to see where he takes the project next, and how many team members he can recruit.