Latest thinking

Fourteen ways to get things wrong...

Blog

22 Jan 2009

Matthew Taylor

So, back to cultural theory. Each of CT’s paradigms (hierarchy, egalitarianism, individualism and fatalism) derives its dynamism primarily from its contest with the others. This is crucial. It explains why people often find it easier to explain their approach by contrasting it with the others rather than in terms of its own virtues. For example, neo-liberals make their political case less through advocacy of individualism and more through a sophisticated critique of hierarchy (producer capture theory of the state) and egalitarianism (public choice theory as a critique of collectivism). More importantly still, the inherent conflict between the paradigms means it is impossible to create an enduring synthesis; they are always in tension, like repelling magnets.

Neuroscience and lifelong learning - some impressions from an RSA / NIACE event

Blog

21 Jan 2009

Matthew Taylor

We co-hosted (with NIACE) a great event here last night on neuroscience and lifelong learning. For me it confirmed a few earlier impressions:

Social brains, social networks and corporate trust

Blog

20 Jan 2009

One aspect of the financial crisis that hasn’t been examined is the role of complex social networks and relationships of trust. There are some reasons to think that networks beyond a certain size and with certain sorts of internal structure might lead to a breakdown in trust.

Maths, small children and neural pathways - 'proving cultural theory'

Blog

16 Jan 2009

Matthew Taylor

I promised yesterday to offer some evidence that the four categories of cultural theory are fundamental and ubiquitous. I will stick to this despite the temptation to respond to the fascinating conversation about CT taking place on my comment pages.

Social brains, social networks, big ideas and social change

Blog

15 Jan 2009

The Social Brain project tries to wed together three elements:

Cultural theory - and the row over the Heathrow third runway

Blog

15 Jan 2009

Matthew Taylor

Cultural theory offers four paradigms of change (there is a fifth, but it is of a different kind). What are they and how are they exhibited in relation to a specific issue, for example, whether to build a third runway at Heathrow?

Cultural theory - and the link between George Washington and Gordon Brown

Blog

14 Jan 2009

Matthew Taylor

Cultural theory has changed the way I think about policy dilemmas and organisational problems. It can provide insights to everyone from political commentators to community activists to managers of large organisations. Over the next few days in some – hopefully – short, accessible posts I intend to lay out the key tenets of CT as I understand them by reference to concrete examples and contemporary issues.

Social mobility, the brain and good news for the RSA

Blog

13 Jan 2009

Matthew Taylor

As I write I’m listening to the Today programme item about the social mobility white paper. The RSA will soon be hearing from someone whose work may be one of the most important contributions to this debate.

Self-help, individualism and the social brain

Blog

12 Jan 2009

The self-help movement was a real late twentieth century phenomenon. It was (is) quite different from the self-improvement societies of (say) Victorian Britain, or the (often somewhat cultish) self-improvement societies of the twenties and thirties (the nadir of these societies being Hitler’s National Socialism, which had its roots in cult-of-the-body groups from the twenties). All these movements were fundamentally social. But self-help since the liberal individualism of the sixties has been thoroughly individualistic (think of the Tom Cruise character in Paul Thomas-Anderson’s flawed masterpiece Magnolia as the nadir of this kind of movement).