social justice
Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems – review
In Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems, David Edmonds curates a selection of interviews with social science researchers covering the breadth of human life and society, from morality, bias and identity to kinship, inequality and justice. Accessible and engaging, the research discussed in the book illuminates the crucial role of social sciences in addressing contemporary societal challenges, writes Ulviyya Khalilova.
Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems. David Edmonds. SAGE. 2023.
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In the Social Science Bites podcast series, David Edmonds, a Consultant Researcher and Senior Research Associate at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, collaborated with Nigel Warburton to explore the dynamics of modern society, interviewing eminent social and behavioural scientists on different topics. The engaging discussions that resulted led Edmonds to curate a selection of the episodes in a written format to bring the research to new audiences. The resulting book, Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Solve Our Problems, offers valuable insights into various aspects of human life and society, covering subjects from morality, bias and identity to kinship, inequality and justice.
Understanding Humans […] offers valuable insights into various aspects of human life and society, covering subjects from morality, bias and identity to kinship, inequality and justice.
In his foreword to the book, Edmonds highlights that the selection of interviews, which translate into different chapters, reflect his own interests, though the criteria for their inclusion remains undisclosed. The book consists of eighteen chapters split between five thematic sections titled, respectively: Identity, How We Think and Learn, Human Behaviour, Making Social Change, and Explaining the Present, and Unexpected. Some topics introduced in one section can also fit into others, leading to overlaps between certain sections.
In his discussion of class, Friedman states that despite educational attainments, class privilege still significantly impacts career progression.
In the section on Identity, Sam Friedman discusses the insufficiency of education to eliminate the influence of class privilege, while Janet Carsten talks about the interconnectedness of kinship with politics, work, and gender. In his discussion of class, Friedman states that despite educational attainments, class privilege still significantly impacts career progression. The level of autonomy in the workplace, alongside one’s position and salary, could indicate whether career success correlates with social class. Friedman suggests that societal beliefs in meritocracy often overlook the inherent class-related barriers that hinder individuals’ opportunities for career development.
In the next section, Daniel Kahneman, Mahzarin Banaji, Gurminder K. Bhambra, Jonathan Haidt, Jo Boaler, and Sasika Sassen discuss various aspects of human thinking and learning. In his chapter on bias, Kahneman sheds light on biases in human thinking, discussing the dual processes of thinking: fast, associative thinking (System 1) and slower, effortful control (System 2). System 2 assists us in providing reasoning or explanations for our conclusions, essentially aiding in articulating our feelings and emotions. Education enhances System 2 and develops rational thinking, although achieving absolute rationality remains an elusive goal.
Boaler challenges the myth of innate mathematical ability, highlighting the crucial role of active engagement in developing mathematical skills.
In her chapter on the “Fear of Mathematics,” Boaler challenges the myth of innate mathematical ability, highlighting the crucial role of active engagement in developing mathematical skills. Deep thinking is crucial for developing maths skills, but it is a slow process that requires time. There is also a need for reforms in maths education, particularly addressing the issue of timed assessments that impede the brain’s capacity to develop mathematical skills effectively. Boaler states that the purpose of mathematics shouldn’t glorify speed, considering that many proficient mathematicians acknowledge working at a slower pace.
In the chapter “Before Method,” Sassen discusses how prior experiences shape research approaches, introducing the concept of “before method”, referring to both the desire for conducting research in a particular way and the actual execution of a research study. The rationale behind selecting a specific research method and topic is connected with the pre-existing experience preceding the method itself. Sassen challenges established categories by questioning whether it is possible to perceive things without initially considering categories, potentially influencing the direction of the study. She acknowledges that her awareness of prior research studies, established categories, and personal life experiences significantly shape her perception of the world as a researcher.
Following this, Stephen Reicher, Robert Shiller, David Halpern, and Valerie Curtis talk about various facets of human behaviour. Reicher discusses group dynamics, elucidating how physical proximity and psychological commonality foster different groups. Reicher also posits that group boundaries are loose and attributes this to the social changes, which, according to his explanation, result from a we-they dichotomy. Understanding intergroup interactions is crucial, particularly when individuals might not wish to be associated with confrontational aspects. However, belonging to a specific group often leads to labelling individuals, linking all their actions with that group, despite the distinctive nature of their involvement.
Halpern in his chapter on nudging explains that humans are not solely rational beings; their behaviour is influenced by various factors including impulses and emotions.
Halpern in his chapter on nudging explains that humans are not solely rational beings; their behaviour is influenced by various factors including impulses and emotions. He elaborates on how nudging proves beneficial for jobseekers, where incorporating specific human-related elements in emails encourages them to attend interviews. Halpern also posits that our inherent ‘groupish’ tendencies are intricately linked to human psychology. Various factors influence our proximity or distance from others, ultimately affecting societal progress, including economic development. Trust, for instance, varies significantly among different social classes. An individual from an impoverished social class facing financial challenges tends to have lower social trust. Conversely, someone from an affluent background might experience the opposite due to their social circle being influenced by their wealth.
Chenoweth’s research highlights the efficacy of nonviolent political action when contrasted with violent approaches, emphasising its higher success rates and potential to facilitate democratic transitions.
In the section on “Making Social Change” Jennifer Richeson, Erica Chenoweth, and Alison Liebling discuss how employing various approaches and research methods can drive social changes. Chenoweth’s research highlights the efficacy of nonviolent political action when contrasted with violent approaches, emphasising its higher success rates and potential to facilitate democratic transitions. Within the political sphere, an emerging trend is the digital revolution, distinct in some aspects from other revolutions. Erica Chenoweth also states that the digital revolution might foster a misleading impression by mobilising thousands to march in the streets.
In the section “Explaining the Present and the Unexpected,” Hetan Shah discusses the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on social and economic spheres, while Bruce Hood talks about supernatural attitudes or beliefs. Shah elucidates how the pandemic has shifted societal norms and behaviour. He also draws attention to the impact of these norms on human behaviour and the potential for fostering a fair society. Examining the pandemic from multiple angles – medical, social, and economic – deepens our understanding of human behaviour Shah emphasises that social sciences play a crucial role in unveiling how biases shape our thoughts and actions, addressing the social problems.
[Understanding Humans] provides readers with a compelling overview of exceptional research studies on how we think and act as individuals, and the social, economic, educational and political structures that we operate within.
Overall, the eclectic chapters in ‘Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Solve Our Problems’ illuminate the profound role of social sciences in exploring and addressing social issues. This book serves as a valuable resource for a broad audience, being accessible and engaging for readers without prior knowledge or expertise in the fields drawn upon by the researchers. It provides readers with a compelling overview of exceptional research studies on how we think and act as individuals, and the social, economic, educational and political structures that we operate within.
This post gives the views of the author, and not the position of the LSE Review of Books blog, or of the London School of Economics and Political Science. The LSE RB blog may receive a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through the above Amazon affiliate link. This is entirely independent of the coverage of the book on LSE Review of Books.
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UNRWA funding cuts threaten Palestinian lives in Gaza and region, say 20 NGOs
Oxfam Australia Media Release Oxfam, together with 19 other aid organisations, is deeply concerned and outraged that some of the largest donors have suspended funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main aid provider for millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the region. The aid cuts come amid a rapidly worsening…
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Schrodinger’s Cat, Trump And Tax Cuts
Most of you have probably heard of the famous thought experiment proposed by Schrödinger where there’s a cat in a box and a vial of poison. If the poison has escaped then the cat is dead, but if the vial is still intact then the cat is alive. Consequently, the cat can be thought of…
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Global Language Justice – review
In Global Language Justice, Lydia H. Liu and Anupama Rao bring together contributions at the intersection of language, justice and technology, exploring topics including ecolinguistics, colonial legacies and the threat digitisation poses to marginalised languages. Featuring multilingual poetry and theoretically rich essays, the collection provides fresh humanities perspectives on the value of preserving linguistic diversity, writes Andrew Shorten.
Global Language Justice. Lydia H. Liu and Anupama Rao (Eds.)with Charlotte A. Silverman. Columbia University Press. 2023.
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Recently, scholars have been paying closer attention to the relationships between language and justice, leading to two separate but related strands of academic research. On one side, applied linguists are increasingly preoccupied with issues connected to social justice, race and gender. An example of this is Ingrid Pillar’s influential book Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice (Oxford, 2016), which explores how language hierarchies, ideologies and expectations affect people’s access to meaningful work and social participation. On the other side, political theorists are incorporating language into discussions about democracy and distributive justice, exploring how political communities should handle multilingualism and questioning whether people have justice-related claims or duties tied to the languages they use. A well-known example of this is Philippe Van Parijs’s book Linguistic Justice for Europe and the World (Oxford, 2011), which provocatively argues that native English speakers have a duty to compensate non-native English speakers since the latter group’s efforts contribute to a tremendously beneficial public good.
Political theorists are incorporating language into discussions about democracy and distributive justice, exploring how political communities should handle multilingualism
Bringing together linguists with scholars from across the humanities, Global Language Justice throws new light on these and other, related, topics. Emphasising the relationships between language, environment and technology, and featuring both poetry and academic essays, this edited collection brings a fresh perspective on the emerging “ecolinguistics” research agenda, which explores the entanglements amongst struggles to protect biological, linguistic and cultural diversity. The book succeeds in bringing new issues to the fore, especially regarding the challenges of digitisation for language justice and the connections between coloniality and language justice. Another laudable feature of this book is that, far more than is typical for an edited collection of this type, it has the feel of a genuinely collaborative project, with frequent cross-referencing across the different chapters, most of which were first presented at a Mellon Foundation Sawyer Seminar, hosted by Columbia University.
The book succeeds in bringing new issues to the fore, especially regarding the challenges of digitisation for language justice and the connections between coloniality and language justice.
Many of the chapters centre the predicament of Indigenous languages and the experiences of Indigenous language activists. This marks a contrast with both strands of research mentioned earlier, which tend to focus on the claims of sub-state national minorities and, to a lesser extent, immigrants. Careful engagement with Indigenous scholars, activists and communities should prompt a reconsideration of some dominant linguistic and political categories. For instance, Wesley Leonard’s insightful contribution demonstrates how creative attempts to revitalise the once dormant myaamia language, led by Miami people themselves, destabilise assumptions about linguistic purism, language extinction, and the connection between language and identity. Furthermore, situating issues of language justice within a broader context of Indigenous politics and experiences can foreground phenomena often neglected by linguists and language rights scholars. For instance, Daniel Kaufman and Ross Perlin’s chapter reveals how bureaucratic and academic practices can render Indigenous languages invisible in urban metropolises like New York. They argue that this erasure can have material as well as recognitional costs, threatening the health and human rights of Indigenous people.
Whilst the importance of literacy for personal wellbeing, economic growth and gender equality are now well understood, the importance of mother-tongue education for developing literacy in the first place is less widely appreciated.
A second theme that emerges is the importance of language for sustainable development. Suzanne Romaine’s powerful chapter points out that although the most linguistically diverse places are inhabited by some of the world’s poorest people, development policies and practices generally neglect language. For instance, whilst the importance of literacy for personal wellbeing, economic growth and gender equality are now well understood, the importance of mother-tongue education for developing literacy in the first place is less widely appreciated. As a result, schools, states and international agencies still often prioritise the teaching of official and colonial languages, which results in low literacy rates and can have devastating effects for both individuals and society. Particularly striking are the facts that, globally, 40 per cent of people lack access to education in their own language, a proportion that rises to 87 per cent in Africa, where 90 per cent of people also cannot understand the official language(s) of their state.
Some lesser-used languages are virtually impossible to use online because their writing systems are not supported in Unicode, the international standard that ensures text can be reliably transmitted across devices and programmes.
A third theme explored relates to the presence and visibility of minoritised languages online. Isabelle A. Zaugg’s chapter discusses some of the ways in which digital technologies discourage the use of lesser-used languages online and thereby reinforce sociolinguistic inequalities. Part of the explanation for this is that only languages spoken in wealthy countries enjoy a full suite of digital supports, such as tailor-made fonts and keyboards, as well as tools like spellcheck, predictive typing and voice recognition. By contrast, as Deborah Anderson explains in her clear and useful chapter, some lesser-used languages are virtually impossible to use online because their writing systems are not supported in Unicode, the international standard that ensures text can be reliably transmitted across devices and programmes. In the future, encoding the scripts used by minority languages will become ever more essential for language maintenance and vitality, since Unicode underpins a myriad of important practices, from word processing and searching the internet to emailing and posting on social media. However, this process is both technically challenging and resource hungry, raising questions of justice for minority language speakers.
Though it is surely true that language justice requires thinking carefully about other political concepts […] we should be reluctant about abandoning rights-talk altogether.
Finally, a fourth theme of the book is a broad scepticism about language rights, primarily because of the ways in which rights are thought to be bound up with liberal individualism. This is suggested in a few contributions and defended most fulsomely in the chapter by L. Maria Bo. Though rights scepticism has a respectable tradition in political theory, this was one of the less convincing aspects of the collection, not least because the linguistic human rights approach, championed elsewhere by Robert Phillipson and the late Tove Skutnabb-Kangas, was never given a serious run for its money. Though it is surely true that language justice requires thinking carefully about other political concepts (such as democracy, as Madeline Dobie argues in her enlightening chapter on language politics in Algeria), we should be reluctant about abandoning rights-talk altogether. For one thing it is often favoured by language activists themselves, such as Gluaiseacht Cearta Sibhialta na Gaeltachta (The Gaeltacht Civil Rights Movement) active in Ireland in the 1960s and 70s. Furthermore, as Tommaso Manfredini demonstrates in his moving contribution about shortcomings in translation services for asylum seekers in Italy, rights and especially human rights cannot be ignored, since they provide the context and means with which language injustices can be most effectively challenged today.
Liu and Rao’s Global Language Justice is a stimulating addition to the burgeoning academic field of linguistic justice. It offers a fresh perspective from the humanities that will be especially welcome for scholars already immersed in the literatures in applied linguistics or normative political theory. Meanwhile, other readers will find much in its theoretically rich reflections on the predicament of minority languages, and their users, in the twenty-first century.
This post gives the views of the author, and not the position of the LSE Review of Books blog, or of the London School of Economics and Political Science. The LSE RB blog may receive a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through the above Amazon affiliate link. This is entirely independent of the coverage of the book on LSE Review of Books.
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Roe v. Wade: The Baby of Medicine and American Fascism
The state of female bodies has always been a question of control, in which both legislation and medicalization have played a role. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court ruled that restrictive state regulation of abortion was unconstitutional (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018) through the legal case Roe v. Wade. In mid-2022, the Supreme Court officially reversed [...]
Unveiling the True Meaning of Social Justice
By Denis Hay In a world where the term ‘social justice’ is often tossed around in political and social discussions, it is crucial to understand its true meaning, especially in the context of Australia. This article delves into the essence of social justice, highlighting its significance in the Australian socio-economic landscape. What is Social Justice?…
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The Shame, and the Cost of no Help
HOW MANY of us Survivors of CSA have to kill ourselves before the following short paragraph is seriously considered by Churches and Government? Too much secular Government/Taxpayer money is wasted on religious endeavours in Australia, and too many Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse experienced in religious institutions are left clinging to life by their fingernails…
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Israel’s military bombs Gaza into unprecedented levels of hunger
Oxfam Australia Media Release Oxfam reaction to the IPC food security figures for Gaza In reaction to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report published today on Gaza warning of a risk of famine if intense hostilities and restricted humanitarian access persist or worsen, Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa…
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Our Editors Discuss Solutions and Storytelling
As part of our winter membership drive, we are pulling back the curtain on what we do here at Reasons to be Cheerful. This is part three of a three-part series. You can find part one here and part two here. In this final installment, we bring you a conversation between Executive Editor Will Doig and Editorial Director Rebecca Worby about growing awareness of solutions journalism and what makes stories resonate. Want to learn more about our membership program? Click here.
Rebecca Worby: In the early days of RTBC, there was much less awareness about solutions journalism. How has awareness grown since RTBC launched?
Will Doig: A lot of big publications have added a section specifically for solutions stories in the last few years — like the New York Times section Headway — and then some of those stories get filtered onto the homepage. From the reader’s perspective, these stories might not even register as “solutions journalism” since they’re positioned as just another news story, which is exactly how they should be treated, in my opinion.
WD: What makes a RTBC story a RTBC story?
RW: A RTBC story will tell you not just what the solution to a problem is, but how that solution was implemented. Ideally, it’ll do that in a way that feels conversational and approachable: You don’t need to be an expert on sustainable timber construction to understand and enjoy a story about the Portland airport’s new wooden roof.
In November, Hannah Wallace reported for us about the Portland airport’s new sustainable timber roof. Courtesy of Port of Portland
At its best, a RTBC story is truly a story — that is, a narrative that you want to read from start to finish. Our stories may not always be as cheerful as the name suggests, but they do tend to be upbeat, and I hope they give the reader a sense of hope and buoyancy.
RW: What types of stories do you find that our audience is most drawn to?
WD: Climate, the environment, green energy — these have been our most popular topics since day one. They’re not only huge issues that affect everyone, they’re awash in promising solutions that often have a good narrative behind them.
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We saw a jump in interest in social justice stories during and after the 2020 protests, but because those solutions often aren’t as cut and dry, I think it’s harder for readers to walk away from them with a feeling that something has been solved. They might sometimes feel like they’re describing incremental progress in an intractably unfair world.
WD: What’s a common misconception about solutions journalism or RTBC?
RW: When people hear the name Reasons to be Cheerful, or when they hear about solutions journalism more generally, some might leap to the conclusion that our stories are all light and fun — or, worse, that we’re sugar-coating the truth. But our stories are always rigorously reported, and they don’t shy away from the negative when necessary. For example, we strive to always address not just what’s working well with a particular solution, but also the limitations or challenges it faces.
WD: What’s a story from this year that really resonated with our readers and why do you think it did?
RW: Contributing Editor Peter Yeung’s story about what Barcelona is doing to deal with overtourism was among our most popular this year. It came out in the middle of the summer, a time when a lot of readers are traveling (or dreaming of their next trip), and it spoke to an issue that a lot of us have experienced first-hand: What happens when a beloved place is, well, loved a little too much?
Interestingly, it’s not the most cut-and-dry solution story — as Peter writes, improvements in the impacts of tourism are tough to quantify — but I think there’s something satisfying about learning what a historic, beautiful city is doing to preserve itself.
Park Güell, designed by Antoni Gaudí, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site one of Barcelona’s most popular tourist attractions. Credit: dvoevnore / Shutterstock
RW: What’s a story from our archives that you still find yourself thinking about a lot?
WD: In 2020 our writer Klaus Sieg wrote about Berlin’s effort to incentivize residents to buy things used instead of new, and to repair their stuff instead of throwing it away. It was technically a story about policies that encourage reuse, but what it was really about was an entire city — from its government agencies on down to its residents — transforming its mindset around wasteful, consumption-oriented lifestyles.
RW: One of the first things I edited for RTBC was Elizabeth Hewitt’s story about “beaver dam analogues” in Colorado. Essentially, human impacts have degraded ecosystems — in this case, by wiping out beaver populations — and now humans are mimicking nature to try to restore those ecosystems and make them more adaptable to climate change. It’s a low-tech solution, and one that could ultimately help welcome beavers back to these places. I love when a solution is about undoing damage and helping nature do its thing.
RW: What’s a response from a reader that has stayed with you or impacted your thinking about the work that we do?
WD: We get a lot of notes from teachers who say they use Reasons to be Cheerful in their classrooms, which is really gratifying. One specific response that’s always stuck with me was from a soldier in a war zone who said he reads us to avoid losing hope — even though that’s just one person, it feels like a big impact.
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RW: I really appreciate the notes from teachers, too. I also enjoy hearing from folks whose life or work is closely tied to something we’ve covered. One of our writers recently told us that her mother was sharing Michaela Haas’ article about “The Power of Sharing Patients’ Life Stories With Caregivers” with all her friends. Old-fashioned word-of-mouth — I loved hearing that.
RW: A lot of online magazines struggle, and many shrank or disappeared after the pandemic, but RTBC just keeps growing. Why do you think this is?
WD: I think our name helps — we have a newsletter that has over 130,000 subscribers and being able to drop something that literally says “Reasons to be Cheerful” into someone’s inbox once a week almost feels like cheating.
Aside from that, I think the hunger for this type of journalism is real. There’s more of it than there used to be, but clearly not enough. We also just work really hard to make every story as good as it can possibly be, so maybe there’s an element of quality winning the day, as well.
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Inaction by the Australian Goverment leaves PNG refugee children going hungry
Refugee Action Coalition Media Release Inaction by the Australian government is leaving refugee families destitute. Despite promises from the PNG Immigration minister that the problem would be fixed, refugees still have no food vouchers, income, or access to medical help. Families have run out of food for their children; refugees have been left without electricity…
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