The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren’t Enough

What the ‘prevailing wisdom’ of the selfish gene, the tragedy of the commons, ‘red in tooth and claw’ actually show us is that we are deeply susceptible to stories about ourselves. Stories are so powerful that they can be employed to redirect our innate desire to be good and cause us to take an immoral action.

Frank believes our culture lacks mythology. He doesn’t mean fictional stories but the big narratives that help humanity understand our world. He writes that while science has filled that gap in terms of understanding, we’re lacking the power of stories.

This prompted me to review many of the hundreds of books published each year on society, economics and politics. While many offer a striking diagnosis, most offer little in the way of prescription, which is usually left to a final chapter.