The Darwinian Trap: The Hidden Evolutionary Forces That Explain Our World

A provocative exploration of how humans are wired to seek short-term success at the expense of long-term survival—an “optimization trap” that explains everything from toxic workplaces to climate change

In this eye-opening work, entrepreneur and philosopher Kristian Rönn argues that today’s biggest challenges—climate change, fake news, artificial intelligence, even terrible bosses—are less the work of “bad people” doing “bad things” than the product of fundamental evolutionary forces. These forces compel us to act—but often in short-sighted ways that disadvantage others and imperil our own future prosperity. Rönn calls these deeply rooted impulses “Darwinian demons.” Left unchecked, their consequences will grow in magnitude as the power of technology accelerates. In short, evolution has set a trap for us. How can we avoid it?

Rönn, who previously worked at the Future of Humanity Institute (the intellectual hub that has produced groundbreaking books including Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom and The Precipice by Toby Ord), shows that we must learn to cooperate in new ways if we are to surmount these Darwinian optimization traps, whether in the workplace or to solve our biggest existential threats. Evolution may be to blame for the trap—but humans need not fall for it. Our salvation, he writes, will involve the creation of new systems that understand, track, and manage what humankind values most.

Bold, brilliant, and ultimately optimistic, The Darwinian Trap is a new lens on humanity’s past, present, and future—and a call to rethink our priorities for the sake of generations to come.