Europe must fight back in the battle for good ideas-by James Harkin
W hat does it mean to be a "libertarian paternalist" or a "transhumanist"? What is it like to live in an "experience economy"? When people murmur knowingly about something called "the wisdom of crowds", what are they talking about? Is there really a "tipping point" in every field of human endeavour and, if so, where does it come from and how does it work? Ideas are all the rage. Good ideas have always been contagious, but thanks to the internet and the increasingly globalised media, they are now making their way around the world almost as soon as they are invented.
However, America's dominance in the new global landscape of ideas is not only a matter of resources. Americans have also become expert packagers of ideas. American writers and thinkers seem to have acquired the knack of explaining complex ideas in accessible ways for popular audiences. The success of idea books such as The Tipping Point and Freakonomics and a rather depressing glut of books about happiness has signified to cultural commissars a thirst for good ideas clearly expressed.
Europeans thinkers, who were so formidable at producing practical ideas during the age of ideology, need to think about catching up.
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