E.G. Nadeau, co-author of the book The Cooperative Society
E.G. Nadeau, a sociologist and a long-term Madison resident, and his son Luc, an ecologist who lives in Longmont, Colo., just published the second edition of The Cooperative Society: The Next Stage of Human History. Off the Cuff spoke with E.G. Nadeau about the book.
Can you give us a quick summary of what the book is about?
We organize the book into two main parts: First, we make the case that humans may be at an epoch-changing moment in the more than 200,000-year history of our species. That is, we may be on the verge of evolving into a worldwide society characterized by cooperation, democracy, reduced conflict, adequate resources for all and a sustainable relationship with the environment.
Second, we argue that we, as individuals, local communities, countries and at an international level, can take actions in the first half of the 21st century to increase the likelihood that a transition to a cooperative society occurs.
That sounds like a pretty ambitious and optimistic agenda. What information do you present to support your contention that we may be on the verge of a cooperative society?
In the first part of the book, we present seven measures related to whether or not we are trending toward or away from a more cooperative society. These measures are: concentration of economic power, economic inequality, conflict, democracy, population change, quality of life and the environment.
Looking at worldwide data, it turns out that during the 20th and early 21st centuries, we get mixed results on these measures. Economic power continues to be concentrated among a relatively small number of corporations and governments; economic inequality persists around the world; and we are abusing the environment, especially in terms of global warming and species extinction.
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On the positive side, conflicts, as measured by war, deaths and homicides, have decreased dramatically since the mid-20th century; the number of democracies and people living in democracies have experienced substantial growth over that same time period; and, especially in the last 30 years, the quality of life for people around the world has improved significantly. For example, the number of people living in extreme poverty has been reduced by half. In terms of population growth, we are projected to have about 11 billion people by 2200. It is too early to tell whether we will be able to “bend the curve downward” in order to reduce population pressures on our finite environment, so we rated this measure as “neutral.”
We don’t approach the issue of the cooperative society with rose-colored glasses. Rather, we present the best information available to objectively analyze past and future trends.
One of your findings is that democracy is on the rise. But what about the erosion of democracy under Donald Trump, and in other countries?
That’s a good observation. Democracy has increased in fits and starts over the last 120 years. There were only 10 democracies in the world in 1900. There are more than 75 democracies today, with about half of the world’s population. There has been a slight erosion in “full democracies” in the first part of the 21st century—including during the Trump administration in the United States. But, based on long-term trends (and the recent midterm elections), the movement toward increased democracy appears likely to continue.
With these trends going in opposite directions, how can you be optimistic about the future?
As we write in the conclusion of the book: “The jury is still out on whether or not we are transitioning to the cooperative society. However, as we have stated throughout the book, we are not merely passive observers of these trends and countertrends. As humans, we can shape our own history.”
That is the ultimate message of this book. We, as a species, are not destined to destroy ourselves and our planet. We can make the transition from a destructive society to a cooperative one. And we can make major progress on that transition between now and 2030.”
Each of us plays many roles in society. We are voters, consumers, jobholders, members of families and communities. In all these roles, we can take actions to make our society more cooperative—for example, voting for candidates who support a less divisive society; purchasing products and services that promote the health of the environment; volunteering with, or donating to, organizations that improve the quality of life of our fellow humans.
The Cooperative Society can be ordered through local booksellers and Amazon. A free PDF copy of the book is available at thecooperativesociety.org.
