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A review by the_library_of_larry
Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us by Brian Klaas
5.0
Brian Klaas has written one of the most important books I've read. I'll describe it as a slight mix of Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking Fast and Slow" and "The Dictator's Handbook" by Alastair Smith and Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. Klaas basically provides the reader with an understanding of what the hell happened to the world in the last six years or so, for anyone who has been blindsided by the inexplicable rise of corruption, authoritarianism, extremism, and hatred throughout the whole world.
Klaas's take, however, is not centered around the hypothesis that humans are inherently irrational, like Khaneman. Nor is it as narrow as the scope of Smith and Bueno de Mesquita's work in which all leaders are necessarily doomed to want to keep and attract power, no matter whether they are working within democracies or autocracies (incidentally, the subtitle of "The Dictator's Handbook" is: "Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics"). Klaas's mission in this book is to explore the very essence of power, and how the foibles of human rationality, irrationality, emotion, and incentivization can lead to bad people getting and keeping power, which in turn harms society. In a sense, Klaas is able to explain why every bad leader you've ever experienced in your life got there.
We've all been baffled by how certain figures have gotten into power, from politicians to sports coaches to school administrators to your HOA. Klaas demonstrates that it's not just as simple as "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely", though some version of this statement is true. He shows many of the various nuances of how humans gain and keep power, how bad people and psychopaths can manipulate their way to the top, how corrupt societies encourage bad behavior, and how we can in fact fight back against the abuse of power through much needed reform.
I always like a research book that has a solution at the end. Klaas's last chapter delves into the methods for which we should alter our organizations, private and public, in order to prevent corruption, recruit good leaders, and provide a better society for everyone. It's elegant and optimistic, and I'm genuinely shocked he thinks it is possible, especially since this book was published in November 2021 after almost every possible demonstration of the dysfunction of American society has reared its head in recent years.
But perhaps that's why he wrote this book. No doubt Klaas can clearly see as many normal Americans can that many things are critically wrong with the country. His solution, however, tackles the very essence of human organization: who seeks power, who wields power and who keeps power. If such reforms can take place, we'll be well on our way to fixing a lot. It's a good start.
A high recommend from me for this very timely, interesting, and enlightening book!
Klaas's take, however, is not centered around the hypothesis that humans are inherently irrational, like Khaneman. Nor is it as narrow as the scope of Smith and Bueno de Mesquita's work in which all leaders are necessarily doomed to want to keep and attract power, no matter whether they are working within democracies or autocracies (incidentally, the subtitle of "The Dictator's Handbook" is: "Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics"). Klaas's mission in this book is to explore the very essence of power, and how the foibles of human rationality, irrationality, emotion, and incentivization can lead to bad people getting and keeping power, which in turn harms society. In a sense, Klaas is able to explain why every bad leader you've ever experienced in your life got there.
We've all been baffled by how certain figures have gotten into power, from politicians to sports coaches to school administrators to your HOA. Klaas demonstrates that it's not just as simple as "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely", though some version of this statement is true. He shows many of the various nuances of how humans gain and keep power, how bad people and psychopaths can manipulate their way to the top, how corrupt societies encourage bad behavior, and how we can in fact fight back against the abuse of power through much needed reform.
I always like a research book that has a solution at the end. Klaas's last chapter delves into the methods for which we should alter our organizations, private and public, in order to prevent corruption, recruit good leaders, and provide a better society for everyone. It's elegant and optimistic, and I'm genuinely shocked he thinks it is possible, especially since this book was published in November 2021 after almost every possible demonstration of the dysfunction of American society has reared its head in recent years.
But perhaps that's why he wrote this book. No doubt Klaas can clearly see as many normal Americans can that many things are critically wrong with the country. His solution, however, tackles the very essence of human organization: who seeks power, who wields power and who keeps power. If such reforms can take place, we'll be well on our way to fixing a lot. It's a good start.
A high recommend from me for this very timely, interesting, and enlightening book!