{"title":"Paul Seabright","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaul Seabright\u003c\/strong\u003e explores profound questions at the intersection of \u003cem\u003ereligion, spirituality, science, and nature\u003c\/em\u003e. His works invite readers to consider the complex dynamics shaping human understanding and belief, often blending intellectual rigour with accessible insights.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom reflections on spiritual economy to examinations of human relationships, Seabright’s writing challenges conventional perspectives and encourages thoughtful dialogue. His books offer a compelling journey through themes both timeless and timely.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-divine-economy-by-paul-seabright-9780691133003","title":"The Divine Economy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA novel economic interpretation of how religions have become so powerful in the modern world.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReligion in the twenty-first century is alive and well across the world, despite its apparent decline in North America and parts of Europe. Vigorous competition between and within religious movements has led to their accumulating great power and wealth. Religions in many traditions have honed their competitive strategies over thousands of years. Today, they are big business; like businesses, they must recruit, raise funds, disburse budgets, manage facilities, organise transportation, motivate employees, and get their message out. In \u003ci\u003eThe Divine Economy\u003c\/i\u003e, economist Paul Seabright argues that religious movements are a special kind of business: they are platforms, bringing together communities of members who seek many different things from one another—spiritual fulfilment, friendship and marriage networks, even business opportunities. Their function as platforms, he contends, is what has allowed religions to consolidate and wield power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis power can be used for good, especially when religious movements provide their members with insurance against the shocks of modern life, and a sense of worth in their communities. It can also be used for harm: political leaders often instrumentalise religious movements for authoritarian ends, and religious leaders can exploit the trust of members to inflict sexual, emotional, financial or physical abuse, or to provoke violence against outsiders. Writing in a nonpartisan spirit, Seabright uses insights from economics to show how religion and secular society can work together in a world where some people feel no need for religion, but many continue to respond with enthusiasm to its call.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46833623269612,"sku":"9780691133003","price":69.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/1317173482434.jpg?v=1758469171"},{"product_id":"the-war-of-the-sexes-by-paul-seabright-9780691159720","title":"The War of the Sexes","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs countless love songs, movies, and self-help books attest, men and women have long sought different things. The result? Seemingly inevitable conflict. Yet we belong to the most cooperative species on the planet. Isn't there a way we can use this capacity to achieve greater harmony and equality between the sexes?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eThe War of the Sexes\u003c\/em\u003e, Paul Seabright argues that there is – but first, we must understand how the tension between conflict and cooperation developed in our remote evolutionary past, how it shaped the modern world, and how it still holds us back, both at home and at work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on biology, sociology, anthropology, and economics, Seabright shows that conflict between the sexes is, paradoxically, the product of cooperation. The evolutionary niche – the long dependent childhood – carved out by our ancestors requires the highest level of cooperative talent. But it also gives couples more to fight about. Men and women became experts at influencing one another to achieve their cooperative ends but also became trapped in strategies of manipulation and deception in pursuit of sex and partnership.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn early societies, economic conditions moved the balance of power in favour of men, as they cornered scarce resources for use in the sexual bargain. Today, conditions have changed beyond recognition, yet inequalities between men and women persist, as the brains, talents, and preferences we inherited from our ancestors struggle to deal with the unpredictable forces unleashed by the modern information economy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMen and women today have an unprecedented opportunity to achieve equal power and respect. But we need to understand the mixed inheritance of conflict and cooperation left to us by our primate ancestors if we are finally to escape their legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46855315914988,"sku":"9780691159720","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/70e9e0139fb5b16a8f556af2b44a1d36.jpg?v=1759279069"},{"product_id":"the-divine-economy-by-paul-seabright-9780691277875","title":"The Divine Economy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003eWinner of the Bronze Medal, Axiom Business Book Awards 2024, Business Commentary\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReligion in the twenty-first century is alive and well across the world, despite its apparent decline in North America and parts of Europe. Vigorous competition between and within religious movements has led to their accumulating great power and wealth. Religions in many traditions have honed their competitive strategies over thousands of years. Today, they are big business; like businesses, they must recruit, raise funds, disburse budgets, manage facilities, organise transportation, motivate employees, and get their message out. In \u003cem\u003eThe Divine Economy\u003c\/em\u003e, economist Paul Seabright argues that religious movements are a special kind of business: they are platforms, bringing together communities of members who seek many different things from one another—spiritual fulfilment, friendship and marriage networks, even business opportunities. Their function as platforms, he contends, is what has allowed religions to consolidate and wield power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis power can be used for good, especially when religious movements provide their members with insurance against the shocks of modern life, and a sense of worth in their communities. It can also be used for harm: political leaders often instrumentalise religious movements for authoritarian ends, and religious leaders can exploit the trust of members to inflict sexual, emotional, financial or physical abuse, or to provoke violence against outsiders. Writing in a nonpartisan spirit, Seabright uses insights from economics to show how religion and secular society can work together in a world where some people feel no need for religion, but many continue to respond with enthusiasm to its call.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Seabright has produced an engaging and insightful book, which I found myself pondering long after I had read the last page.' - Jane Shaw, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Enlightening.' - \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Economist\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Seabright has a great talent for addressing original questions. In this book, he reverses the familiar trope that religion is the antithesis of mere economics. On the contrary, he argues, religions are competing businesses: they attract people by providing services they value, from the mundane—a community in which to find a compatible mate—to the sublime—a sense of life's meaning.' - Martin Wolf, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47384031297772,"sku":"9780691277875","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/b4d24fd1f8db26f6e5e4756d7b5692a3.jpg?v=1773529679"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/paul-seabright.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}