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Plurality

The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy

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Plurality

By: E. Glen Weyl, Audrey Tang, ⿻ Community
Narrated by: E. Glen Weyl, Audrey Tang, JJ Reynolds-Strange, Kaliya Young, Matt Prewitt, Divya Siddarth, Gisele Chou
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About this listen

Digital technology threatens to tear free and open societies apart through polarization, inequality, and loneliness. But in the decade since the weeks-long occupation of their parliament, a diverse island of resilience has shown another way is possible.

Taiwan achieved inclusive, technology-fueled growth, overcame the pandemic without lockdowns and the infodemic without takedowns, entrusted its people to tackle shared challenges like environmental protection while capitalizing on a culture of innovation to hack the government.

Here, the architects of Taiwan's internationally acclaimed digital democracy share the secret of their success. Plurality harnesses digital tools not to replace humans or trust, but to channel the potential energy in social diversity that can erupt in conflict instead for progress, growth and beauty. From intimate digitally empowered telepathy to global trade running on social networks rather than money, Plurality offers tools to radically enrich relationships while leaving no one behind.

Plurality thus promises to transform every sector from healthcare to media, as illustrated by the way it has been written: as a chorus of open, self-governing collaboration of voices from around the globe. Their work in public on this openly available text shows, as well as tells, how everyone from a devout African farmer to a Hollywood celebrity can help build a more dynamic, harmonious and inclusive world.

E. Glen Weyl is Founder of RadicalxChange, Microsoft Research's Plural Technology Collaboratory, & Plurality Institute & co-author of Radical Markets.

Audrey Tang is the inaugural Minister of Digital Affairs in Taiwan & the inaugural transgender minister in the world.

A global community of dozens collaborated to create this first-ever open-source self-governed book harnessing tools described within.

You are invited to join us at plurality.net.

©2024 E. Glen Weyl and Audrey Tang (P)2024 E. Glen Weyl and Audrey Tang
Future Studies History & Culture Politics & Government Social Sciences Technology & Society Technology
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The concept behind this book is genuinely exciting. Then you press play. It’s like they held auditions at a philosophy department open mic night and hired everyone who showed up. Six narrators, each one more self indulgent than the last, all talking at you rather than to you. I’ve dragged myself to chapter 4 out of a genuine desire to understand what they’re getting at. And I think I do, sort of. But the core thesis feels shallow and I honestly can’t tell if that’s the delivery or the arguments themselves. Here’s the frustrating thing. There’s clearly something important buried in here. The ideas around collaborative technology and democratic systems feel like they matter. But it’s wrapped in so many layers of academic performance that the message gets lost before it lands. Strip it back. One clear narrator. Tighter arguments. Less showing off. I’d genuinely like to revisit this if a more accessible version ever comes out. Because right now the biggest barrier to understanding democracy’s future is this audiobook version.​​​​​​​

The book equivalent of a group project

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