Curated Book: The Way Out

ACT Rochester Advisory Committee member Sharon Stiller attended a presentation by Columbia professor of psychology and education Dr. Peter T Coleman and recommended his book, The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization.

Instead of pitching the book, let me provide some quotes to whet your appetite:

“We don’t process new information neutrally, instead we are motivated to make sense of it in ways that are consistent with our existing worldview…” (pg. 30)

“After a sufficient reset, the next order of business is to locate what is already working. This practice is based on research findings that change-resistant problems are often most responsive to positive deviance or bright spots, existing remedies that have already arisen and proven useful and sustainable within the context of the problem.” (pg. 77)

“when feedback on the result of our actions come in it is time to pay more attention, not less; to make more decisions, not fewer. It involves starting wisely, making corrections in midcourse, and learning from our mistakes.” (pg. 203)

ACT Rochester followers should find these quotes familiar and while the topic for Dr. Coleman is the political polarization, the points made in the book are very applicable to our community’s struggles with social change.

The good thing to know is that the way of thinking that ACT Rochester has been promoting - the scientific method, embracing complexity, continuous improvement - are based in science! Peter Coleman’s The Way Out is a great resource as we continue toward social transformation.

Source: Coleman, P. T. (2021). The way out: How to overcome toxic polarization. Columbia University Press.