Politics is failing us. This is why.

‘Brilliant . . . a must-read’ Daron Acemoglu, co-author of Why Nations Fail

When it comes to politics, there are five goals that voters generally agree upon. We all want a say in how we’re governed, to be treated equally, a safety net when times are hard, protection from harm and to be richer in the future. So, why does politics not deliver that?

The problem is each of these five goals results in a political trap. For example, we all want a say in how we’re governed, but it’s impossible to have any true ‘will of the people’. And we want to be richer tomorrow, but what makes us richer in the short run makes us poorer over the long haul.

In Why Politics Fails, award-winning Oxford professor Ben Ansell draws on examples from Ancient Greece through Brexit to vividly illustrate how we can escape these traps, overcome self-interest and deliver on our collective goals. Politics seems to be broken, but this book shows how it can work for everyone.

‘A meticulous study of how different societies find it so difficult to achieve widely shared goals’ Financial Times

‘Incisive and gripping’ Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die

‘Salutary reading for the world we live in now’ James A. Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fails

Why do the revolving doors of power always leave us disappointed? In Why Politics Fails, award-winning Oxford professor Ben Ansell shows that it’s not the politicians that are the problem, it’s that our collective goals result in five political ‘traps’.

Democracy: we all want a say in how we’re governed, but it’s impossible to have any true ‘will of the people’. Equality: we want to be treated equally, but equal rights and equal outcomes undermine each other. Solidarity: we want a safety net when times are tough, but often we care about solidarity only when we need it ourselves. Security: we want protecting from harm, but not if it undermines our freedoms. Prosperity: we want to be richer tomorrow, but what makes us richer in the short run makes us poorer over the long haul.

You’ve probably noticed a pattern here, which is that our self-interest undermines our ability to deliver on our collective goals. And these traps reinforce one another, so a polarized democracy can worsen inequality; a threadbare social safety net can worsen crime; runaway climate change will threaten global peace.

Drawing on examples from Ancient Greece through Brexit and using his own counterintuitive and pathbreaking research – on why democracy thrives under high inequality, and how increased political and social equality can lead to greater class inequality – Ansell vividly illustrates how we can escape the political traps of our imperfect world. He shows that politics won’t end, but that it doesn’t have to fail.
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‘A meticulous study of how different societies find it so difficult to achieve widely shared goals’ Financial Times

‘Incisive and gripping’ Daniel Ziblatt, co-author of How Democracies Die

‘Salutary reading for the world we live in now’ James A. Robinson, co-author of Why Nations Fail

‘Bright, expansive, and iconoclastic, this deliciously witty book has the potential to upset the applecart of “Western Civilisation” itself… Magnificent’ Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb
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A radical new account of how the idea of the West has shaped our history, told through the stories of fourteen fascinating lives.

We tend to imagine Western Civilisation as a golden thread, leading through the centuries from classical antiquity to the countries of the modern West – a cultural genealogy that connects Plato to NATO. It is an idea often invoked in the speeches of politicians and the rhetoric of journalists, and which remains deeply embedded in popular culture. But what if it is wrong?

In an epic sweep through the ages, prize-winning archaeologist and historian Naoíse Mac Sweeney charts the history of this idea – an idea of enormous political significance, but which is nonetheless factually incorrect and obscures the wondrous, rich diversity of our past. She reveals how this particular version of Western history was invented, how it has been used to justify imperialism and racism, and why it is no longer ideologically fit for purpose today.

Told through the lives of fourteen fascinating historical figures – including a formidable Roman matriarch, an unconventional Islamic scholar, an enslaved African American poetess and a British prime minister with Homeric aspirations – The West is a groundbreaking retelling of Western history and a powerful corrective to one of the greatest myths of all: Western Civilisation.

In A Book of Secrets, internationally bestselling author Derren Brown shows us that it is in those
moments when we are faced with adversity that we can find life’s most lasting rewards.

In thirteen fascinating chapters, Derren takes us on a personal journey – to the scene of a childhood humiliation, to lonely evenings on tour, to being paralysed by shyness at a dinner party, to navigating middle age and to finding love.

Sharing moments of anger, frustration, loneliness and loss, Derren reveals how it’s possible to find consolation and compassion. Even in our most challenging times we can find meaning and grow.

‘Derren Brown is a mine of wisdom, humanity and kindness – everything we need to sustain and nourish ourselves.’
ALAIN DE BOTTON

***** ‘This is the most I’ve seen Derren lay himself bare’
***** ‘Funny, moving and always, always meaningful’
***** ‘Derren’s best book to date and the best book I have read this year’
***** ‘Everything you need in this is a gem. I can’t wait to read it a second time’

In very recent times humanity has learnt a vast amount about the universe, the past, and itself. But through our remarkable successes in acquiring knowledge we have learned how much we have yet to learn: the science we have, for example, addresses just 5 per cent of the universe; pre-history is still being revealed, with thousands of historical sites yet to be explored; and the new neurosciences of mind and brain are just beginning.

What do we know, and how do we know it? What do we now know that we don’t know? And what have we learnt about the obstacles to knowing more? In a time of deepening battles over what knowledge and truth mean, these questions matter more than ever. Bestselling polymath and philosopher A. C. Grayling seeks to answer them in three crucial areas at the frontiers of knowledge: science, history and psychology. A remarkable history of science, life on earth, and the human mind itself, this is a compelling and fascinating tour de force, written with verve, clarity and remarkable breadth of knowledge.
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‘Remarkable, readable and authoritative. How he has mastered so much, so thoroughly, is nothing short of amazing’ Lawrence M. Krauss, author of A Universe from Nothing

‘This book hums with the excitement of the great human project of discovery’ Adam Zeman, author of Aphantasia

In A Book of Secrets, internationally bestselling author Derren Brown shows us that it is in those
moments when we are faced with adversity that we can find life’s most lasting rewards.

In thirteen fascinating chapters, Derren takes us on a personal journey – to the scene of a childhood humiliation, to lonely evenings on tour, to being paralysed by shyness at a dinner party, to navigating middle age and to finding love.

Sharing moments of anger, frustration, loneliness and loss, Derren reveals how it’s possible to find consolation and compassion. Even in our most challenging times we can find meaning and grow.

‘Derren Brown is a mine of wisdom, humanity and kindness – everything we need to sustain and nourish ourselves.’
ALAIN DE BOTTON

***** ‘This is the most I’ve seen Derren lay himself bare’
***** ‘Funny, moving and always, always meaningful’
***** ‘Derren’s best book to date and the best book I have read this year’
***** ‘Everything you need in this is a gem. I can’t wait to read it a second time’