October 25, 2024

Civics

A study of social movements across centuries and continents finds power in the simple acts of talking and thinking.


""Gal Beckerman has written a book about process as if process were an end in itself. Because it usually is.

""The Quiet Before is a quirky, delightful mix of a book that explores the intellectual impulses behind a series of cultural shifts and political revolts occurring across continents and centuries. Beckerman scours scientific correspondence from Europe’s Republic of Letters, parses Twitter debates by Black Lives Matter Twitter activists, tracks Soviet-era samizdat writings and revels in 1990s Riot Grrrl zines, to name just a few of the movements and moments he considers, delving into the principles and grievances behind them all. However, his focus is on how these movements communicated — the ways that writers and intellectuals shared, argued and refined ideas before inflicting them on the world. 'If we rewind to the instant when a solid block of shared reality is first cracked,' Beckerman writes, 'it’s usually a group of people talking.' Talking does not just reflect thinking, but shapes it, too, or — to use a favorite Beckerman word — incubates it."" - Carlos Lozada

Book Review: What’s The Right Process For Changing The World?

Transformation

Civics

Sometimes the easiest way to start a very large endeavor is with a small one first.

ARTICLE: Wheeling in the Trojan Mice

Civics

That sensation that everything seems broken but feels strangely normal? It has a name.

ARTICLE: Systems Are Crumbling – But Daily Life Continues. The Dissonance Is Real

Civics

"This is also a time of extraordinary possibility."

VIDEO: It's Our Job to Make Sure People Know the Truth

Civics

Six ways to host a gathering that you'd want to attend

ARTICLE: Create the Gathering You’ve Been Waiting For