THE POWER MATRIX

Hetherington offers a comprehensive reexamination of many aspects of American politics and society.

Coming from a 40-year background in geology and geophysics, the author has written this big book intending to help general readers who want to better understand “history, ideology, economics, their own political positions, and those of their opponents.” The principal tool he uses to aid this understanding is a concept he calls the Power Matrix, which “illustrates social systems based on how decisions are made in society.” (The Power Matrix “makes it easy to distinguish between illiberalism and liberalism and socialism and capitalism.”) Hetherington also explores the phenomenon he calls “the Great Enrichment,” the fact that modern humans “enjoy unparalleled levels of freedom, wealth, safety, entertainment, and health, with billions of people living better than ancient kings.” As Hetherington sees it, this leap forward was driven by social and political upheaval and “ignited by a colossal infusion of energy that was initially and today is mostly supplied by fossil fuels.” The book covers an enormous range of topics, from cosmology to religion to human evolution to economic considerations stretching over many centuries to the present moment, when “globalization is making inexpensive goods and services more available, making life in developed countries better and more affordable even for the poor.” Throughout the text, the author provocatively challenges the fixed positions of his readers, encouraging them to reevaluate many of their opinions on social and political issues. Hetherington’s scope is far too broad even for such a long book, but he’s consistently engaging throughout, never more so than when he’s striking a subtly optimistic counterpoint to cultural and even religious doom and gloom (reminding readers, for instance, of the good work the much-maligned Catholic Church has done).

An overambitious but richly thought-provoking new interpretation of human history.