Don’t even bother unless you’re interested in the subject matter – political philosophy in the 21st Century from a kind of “spiritual” point of view. 

Developmental Politics: 
How America Can Grow Into a Better
Version of Itself 
by David McIntosh 
2021 – 248 pages
Read by Josh Innerst 6h 55m
Rating 8 / contemp. political philosophy 
(Both read and listened)

I read this at least 2 times, some parts got 3 times. The last chapter only 1 time. It’s essentially a philosophy book so it’s written with extreme care making sure definitions are available and that the logic works there’s lots of organizing and review.  Still, although it made sense, what McIntosh is advocating is not going to happen. 

I was fighting the whole way through.  I was trying to understand and agree and there were times I actually did. But those were short-lived. What I kept coming back to was why did the higher purpose of community well-being not work during the Covid-19 scare? People wouldn’t wear masks or get vaccines even knowing their community depended on it.  We’re still fighting Covid as a result.  

The theory in the book is great and if you read carefully it sounds like it should work just like a Rube Goldberg  machine. Too bad. There are some sticking points. 

The polarity theory, not new, might be flawed these days because as it turns out males and females (for instance) are not necessarily polar opposites.  Some of our problems, like gun control, are not going to go away because someone on one side sees some merit to the values of folks on the others side. We thought Roe v Wade was settled – ha! What happened to our cultural evolution?  

To me the book deserved reading because someone knowledgable had taken the time and effort to put forth an idea which might work because something really needs to work here. We’ll be facing some serious problems, changes and havoc shortly what with unresolved global warming. And all we have is a widening polarization when what we need is some political will.