Enjoying this book? Help it get discovered by casting your vote!

Worth reading 😎

A unique combo of psychology, technology and Gen Z culture that includes practical steps, all set in a group with interesting dynamics.

Synopsis

Shaping an environment that incentivizes goodness, fairness, sustainability, and freedom built around individual needs, collaborative relationships and a suitable financial environment.

The most interesting aspect of Person to Person is the unexpected way the author combines psychology and therapy techniques with the latest technology. Readers have no doubt heard of therapy, many may have heard of the ACT (Acceptance and Commitment) framework. Readers have likely heard of blockchain and Bitcoin even if they don't understand the nuances of each like proof of work, dApps and Web3. The author explains these and other technical concepts in multiple ways so that those who are less technologically inclined are able to understand and even has the characters in the story woven all the way through bring the concepts discussed throughout the book to life struggle with the concepts as well, so the reader doesn't feel alone if they, too, have difficulty with the technology part.


But readers will not have put these two domains together before - this is certainly the first time I've come across the combination. The field of technology has been in need of some humanization and grounding since the beginning of its takeover of nearly every aspect of our lives about 20 years ago, and Person to Person does a good job of showing some of the humane and humanizing ways we can use technology, even if too optimistically at times.


The principles of building a person-to-person society--that is, one that is more human--come to life in the context of a Gen Z college experience four friends share. Some of the pronouns and identity politics felt very distracting as it seemed too contrived and forced, even a bit tokenizing (the author advocates for tokenizing assets, in a way, which is fine; tokenizing people--not as much). The way the author created a story involving four friends working on a startup, however, was a vivid and effective way of illustrating all of the concepts both from the tech fiend and the psychology fiend that the author was bringing together in Person to Person.


For those who want to learn more about the technologies that are not even on the horizon anymore but are upon us, for those who want to create or participate more effectively in groups working on a shared goal and for those who want to harness the power of the Web3-and-ilk technologies as well as proven effective therapeutic practices to improve and strengthen group dynamics, Person to Person is a book to check out.

Reviewed by

I'm a lifelong reader and writer who wants to know everything about everything. My mother jokes that I never grew out of asking why.

Synopsis

Shaping an environment that incentivizes goodness, fairness, sustainability, and freedom built around individual needs, collaborative relationships and a suitable financial environment.

What if we could step out of the culture of blame and victimhood into a reality that gave us freedom and agency to pursue our dreams? What if there was a way out of the isolation and polarization that so many of us find ourselves in, toward authentic connections with others, across all divisions and borders? What if we lived in a world that revolved around quality of life, rather than economic winners and losers?

In Person to Person, Joeri Torfs and Pim Ampe describe this world and chart a clear path toward it. Grounded in research and rooted in reality, the world they describe is neither a utopia nor a fantasy. Person to Person presents an environment that incentivizes goodness, fairness, sustainability, and freedom. It begins with the individual and moves toward our collaborative relationships. Finally, Person to Person proposes a financial environment that would enable this Quality of Life world to flourish—one that is already underway.

Alongside the book’s theory, we meet Jake, Leon, Lana, and Alex: four fictional college students who illustrate the Person to Person concepts as they interact in their dorm rooms and on campus. Their narratives remind readers that all of us—in spite of our pitfalls, in view of our potential—have the power to make a better world that is richly satisfying, deeply connected, and truly free.

Comments

About the author

Joeri Torfs is driven by knowledge and learning, and advocates freedom, self-agency, and sustainable collaboration Pim Ampe's life purpose is to help people increase their quality of life by expanding their ability to adapt and self-manage in the face of life’s challenges. view profile

Published on April 05, 2022

Published by QOL.World Publishing

150000 words

Contains mild explicit content ⚠️

Genre:Humanities & Social Sciences

Reviewed by

Review this book

Share your thoughts with other readers now.