More Human ─ Designing a World Where People Come First

More Human is a scintillating manifesto that ranges across many aspects of lifefrom food to government, the economy to health careto argue that we need to redesign, reorganize, and reconsider our world in terms more suited to the way we truly, naturally, humanly are. It talks about how to make our institutions more human, our products and services more human, and even our buildings more human.

Being more human is crucial to bridging cultural divides and living in a more peaceful world. If we are to be a successful global society, it is an imperative. Civility is a practice incumbent upon us all. And in a world in which technology has rapidly changed social interactions, the book argues that litigating technology’s role would be a good start. Mobile phones and the Internet have fundamentally altered how we communicate with each other, for good and bad. Technology can be manipulated by nefarious actors; has led to the scourge of preteen and teenage sexting; has changed our neurology; and, perhaps most importantly, it has changed how we live our lives. Too often, we live our moments not for the memories they create but the likes and retweets; we too often would rather hang out online than in person. Staying connected to others is wonderful, but not if the cost is disconnecting from reality and from tangible, actual people.

When we created our businesses, our governments, and our institutions, we simply didn’t know what was orwasn’t human. We fell victim to the hubris (another human trait) that we could outsmart nature, that we could outsmart even ourselves. Cities were built based on how planners believed weshould live, not how we actually would. Education systems were designed based on what we thought kids needed to learn, not what actually matters now and for the future.

Steve Hilton argues brilliantly that a more human future is within our grasp if we have the courage to reach for it, legislate for it, and care for it. In the face of big government, big business, big banks, and big tech stands one inexorable opponent: a single human, ready to argue his case.

Steve Hilton is cofounder and CEO of Crowdpac, a Silicon Valley political tech start-up, and a visiting professor at Stanford University. He was formerly senior adviser to Prime Minister David Cameron and played a leading role in the modernization of the Conservative Party and in the implementation of its government reform program. Steve is a graduate of New College, Oxford University, where he studied philosophy, politics, and economics. He now lives in California with his wife and young family. You can visit his website at morehumancampaign.org.