What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren't Enough
Publisher
Transworld Publishers UK
Book Description
Why, rather than the best-qualified candidate ever to run for president, did voters opt for a reality TV star with no political experience? Why, with no idea what it actually meant, did the UK vote for Brexit? In the absence of greater, more unifying narratives, voters opted for the best story available. Once upon a time stories helped us to understand the world and ourselves. We called them myths. Today, we have a myth gap—a vacuum that Alex Evans argues is both dangerous and an opportunity. This book explores how tomorrow’s activists are using narratives for change, how modern stories have been used and abused, and where we might find the right myths to take us forward.
Editorial Review
"Very short, very sharp." —Bruce Clark, Economist / "Pertinent . . . Evans is an attractive and persuasive writer . . . his book will strike many chords." —Allan Massie, Scotsman / "An important book about the need to bring inspiring narratives back to the heart of progressive politics . . . This has traction because it has truth, literally as well as metaphorically." —New Scientist
About the Author
Alex Evans is a Senior Fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation (CIC). He has worked as Special Adviser to two UK Secretaries of State for International Development, as an expert on climate change in the UN Secretary-General’s office, and with think tanks including the Brookings Institution. He has also consulted for Oxfam and the U.S. National Intelligence Council. Tim Smit is cofounder of the Eden Project.