This past year brought to my desk four remarkable books that stretch the imagination beyond the current age of nation-states. They approach human development from the perspective of the planetary era – offering frameworks that extend beyond the structures we take for granted today. Reading such ideas has been refreshing, even energising.
For a long time, we’ve been stuck in the age of nation-states. We are unable – or perhaps unwilling – to imagine forms of planetary cooperation that don’t rely solely on governments or often-clumsy intergovernmental organisations. This isn’t, however, the only way to organise ourselves as a species. Nor should we assume it’s the best we can do.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll introduce these four books, one at a time. The first is Coexist by Jon Sundell, published in May 2024. Mr. Sundell has done something rare and important: built a coherent vision that draws from evolution theory, game theory, systemic technological transitions, and an understanding of global risks – combined with the boldness to offer a structural, future-oriented solution.
The book begins with a simple but profound question: “How can we maximise the well-being of all 8 billion people alive today, within the limits of planetary boundaries?“
The answer is grounded in trust in freedom, decentralised agency, and human potential. Good things follow when individuals and communities are given expanded agency – supported by incentives that guide prosocial behaviour. According to Sundell, those incentives could be structured through digital systems and decentralised virtual currencies, enabling new forms of organisation from small local “cells” to a planetary-level governance system.
In this vision, humanity would evolve into something akin to a superorganism – a shift comparable to the emergence of multicellular life. Hierarchical institutions like nation-states or corporations wouldn’t disappear overnight, but their functions would increasingly be outperformed by more adaptive, participatory systems. Similarly, markets, incentive systems and metagovernance would need to be redesigned to match the scale, complexity and urgency of our interconnected global civilisation.
Do you believe science can help societies organise better?
Do you believe digital technologies could still be tools for empowerment – rather than surveillance, division, or extraction?
If the answer is yes, the Coexist model is worth your time.
And on that note – Happy Independence Day, Finland.
Finnish independence is a beautiful thing. But it’s worth remembering: 125 years ago, an independent Finland and Finnish democracy were fragile hopes in the minds of a few. The beginning wasn’t easy. Even a hundred years ago, it was far from guaranteed that democracy or sovereignty would prove to be lasting solutions. That’s precisely why we must find the courage today to imagine new ways of organising ourselves for this era – just as previous generations dared to do in theirs.
