A Whole New Mind (Daniel H. Pink)
I remember reading Naomi Klein’s No Logo in 2019, and being struck by the contrast between the high regard in which the book was held, and the seeming obviousness of the points the author was making. It was, I realised, testament to the impact of the book (published in 1999), that it’s overarching point had been incorporated into my understanding of the world through widespread acceptance of the general arguments. Even the term ‘McJob’ had entered the lexicon without my knowing its origin; such is the power of some works of non-fiction. Daniel H. Pink’s A Whole New Mind, a popular best-seller published in 2008, gave me a similar initial feeling. Unfortunately, Pink’s book lacks the profundity of Klein’s, and its message is obvious for a less complimentary reason - it is simply obvious. The popularity of A Whole New Mind surely owes more to its optimistic message, ease of read and short length.
The transition of modern economies from primarily agriculture to manufacturing to services has rewarded progressively different human traits. From physical strength, to dexterity and engineering skill, to cognition and numeracy, the latter part of the 20th century rewarded the academic proficiency required to become a lawyer, bank manager, or computer programmer. A trio of forces is once again altering this landscape. Forces which will reward creativity, empathy and design are the new currency in the west. Pink employs the powerful metaphor of left-brain and right-brain thinking to illustrate this shift.
The causes of this shift are, according to the Pink, abundance, automation, and Asia. The billions of potential workers in China, India and across the world are increasingly able and willing to do skilled work at a fraction of the cost of a westerner. Once-scarce financial services or computer programming skills are being outsourced, and will continue to be. Globalisation depresses non-creative wages. This is equally true of technology - anything that is repeatable or programmable will be, as machines that need not medical insurance nor sleep replace expensive, inefficient humans. Finally, our own escalating wealth causes the transition to increased societal valuation of left-brained thinkers, as we can afford the luxury of aestheticism in more and more parts of our lives.
If we can manufacture and afford a quantity of goods exceeding any previous level, so goes the argument, we will care more for the aesthetic quality of the abundance of goods we choose to own. Thus the aesthetic quality of our kettle, our light bulbs, or our gardening gloves become an important consideration. Henry Ford’s quip regarding the available colours of the Model T (‘any as long as it’s black’) ceases to be a tenable business proposition.
Having laid out his thesis, Pink identifies six key traits in this brave new world: Design, Story, Empathy, Play & Meaning. Each is given a chapter explaining both why it is important under the new paradigm, and how you, the reader, can acquire mastery of this new key skill.
Design consists of significance and utility. Since the software required to design - graphic, architectural, motion etc is increasingly accessible and powerful, the utility aspect is commoditised. It can be done cheaply and (relatively) easily. Therefore as a factor input, the significance (read: artistic merit) of design increases in relative importance. This is a consequence of automation. Abundance also increases the importance of design. Apple products command a price premium not just because of technological prowess; it is the aesthetic design and creative branding and packaging that make them luxury goods. Each of the five traits are given similar explanatory treatments.
One finishes A Whole New Mind with a feeling of being robbed of time that could be spent doing other things. The basic argument is, in my opinion, correct. The forces of globalisation and technological advance (which themselves cause ‘abundance’) reward those human traits which are more difficult to systemise. Our increased wealth (incidentally interrupted since publication by the biggest financial crisis in history and a global pandemic), has led us at times to prioritise meaning over money. That being said, lawyers and computer programmers seem to be doing fine 8 years after publication, and the importance of academic achievement in STEM has not diminished. The shift to our need for creativity and empathy is real, but exaggerated.
Whilst the qualities Pink lists as those we will now require seem to fit the bill, they also feel somewhat arbitrary. One feels that Pink took Malcolm Gladwell’s formula of illustrative and entertaining narrative as a literary tool, to the point of lazy parody. It's an excellent formula, but the stories need to further the argument. During the course of the book he visits a research centre in order to take an fMRI scan, giving a brief history of left versus right brain, before insisting that the distinction is but a metaphor. So why do the scan?
In the chapter on design, he points out that in the 2000 U.S. elections, the bad design of the ballot was responsible for the confusion and possible error in selecting the leader of the free world. This may be a good illustration of the importance of design, but it is in no way germane to the arguments being made. Red herrings abound for the sake of a word count.
A Whole New Mind is an interesting opinion-piece article, fit for publication in Fast Magazine or The Economist. It has been padded out by irrelevant or cliched anecdotes and self-help tips such as ‘Dissect A Joke’, and ‘Picture Yourself at Ninety’. Instead of doing those things, or reading this book, do something else.