Radius of Reason Solving the Metacrisis with a Theory of Everyone | Michael Muthukrishna
Dec 16, 2025
In a thought-provoking discussion, Dr. Michael Muthukrishna, a Professor of Economic Psychology and author of *A Theory of Everyone*, explores how cultural evolution shapes human cooperation and innovation. He argues for the importance of understanding energy as a fundamental constraint in our economic systems. From advocating for land value tax as a way to share resources fairly, to envisioning startup cities as experimental governance labs, Muthukrishna offers compelling insights on addressing the metacrisis through scalable growth solutions.
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Cultural Software Explains Human Uniqueness
- Humans evolved a unique cultural "software" that transmits beliefs, skills, and technology across generations.
- This cultural evolution, layered on genetic evolution and individual learning, explains human-level innovation and cooperation.
Four Laws That Shape Societies
- Four complementary laws frame human development: energy, innovation (efficiency), cooperation, and evolution.
- Energy sets ceilings; efficiency, cooperation, and evolutionary trial-and-error explain societal change and scaling.
Energy As The Deep Constraint
- Energy is the unifying currency beneath economics, politics, and technology.
- Access to cheap abundant energy enabled the Industrial Revolution and underpins modern prosperity and cooperation.