The Power Conundrum: Exploring the Puzzle of How to Reclaim a Democracy

How many of the world's problems are the product of people with too much power and influence getting things their way? And if power can be used to gain more power is there a point at which this cycle spirals out of control?

Human society can be analyzed as a system, and systems follow logic which can be dissected and scrutinized. The Power Conundrum takes on this task, tracing the path from individually motivated humans to the outcomes they collectively produce, shedding light on the most intractable of humanity's challenges in the process. This approach leads straight to a potential core explanation for social inequality, and author Stephen Shaw invites the reader to join him in solving the conundrum it presents.

The book's chapters form an arc from theory on how society works, to a survey of key cultural dynamics, to the logic that underlies social change itself.

Positive and constructive in tone, The Power Conundrum nevertheless begins with a sober assessment of the degraded state of democracy in the United States and elsewhere in much of the West.

First-time author Stephen Shaw transitioned from studying biology to investigating culture after being inspired by the work of the Santa Fe Institute in the mid-nineties. A belief that accurately understanding a problem is the best path to solutions guides his approach to world issues today. He lives in the mid-coast region of Maine. His website and blog can be found at stephenshaw.net.