Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny

Does history have a direction? Is globalization a natural, even inevitable, culmination of the past? If so, what does this say about where humanity is heading next? Such questions have made Robert Wright's Nonzero one of the most talked-about books of recent years. And Wright's bold, incisive answers are the reason President Bill Clinton, during his final year in office, called the book "astonishing" and "fascinating" and instructed White House staff members to read it.

Wright, the acclaimed author of The Moral Animal, looks at history as access of "cultural evolution." Over time, human societies have grown process more complex by retaining technologies, political systems, and religious beliefs that foster internal coordination and cooperation. Drawing on game theory the notion of "zero-sum" and "non-zero-sum" games-Wright shows how history naturally weaves people into ever more vast webs of interdependence.