Bestselling author Cass R. Sunstein reveals the appeal and the danger
of conformity
We live in an era of tribalism, polarization, and intense social
division--separating people along lines of religion, political
conviction, race, ethnicity, and sometimes gender. How did this happen?
In Conformity, Cass R. Sunstein argues that the key to making sense of
living in this fractured world lies in understanding the idea of
conformity--what it is and how it works--as well as the countervailing
force of dissent.
An understanding of conformity sheds new light on many issues
confronting us today: the role of social media, the rise of fake news,
the growth of authoritarianism, the success of Donald Trump, the
functions of free speech, debates over immigration and the Supreme
Court, and much more.
Lacking information of our own and seeking the good opinion of others,
we often follow the crowd, but Sunstein shows that when individuals
suppress their own instincts about what is true and what is right, it
can lead to significant social harm. While dissenters tend to be seen as
selfish individualists, dissent is actually an important means of
correcting the natural human tendency toward conformity and has enormous
social benefits in reducing extremism, encouraging critical thinking,
and protecting freedom itself.
Sunstein concludes that while much of the time it is in the individual's
interest to follow the crowd, it is in the social interest for
individuals to say and do what they think is best. A well-functioning
democracy depends on it.
