DisConnected: The Roots of Human Cruelty and How Connection Can Heal the World

DisConnected offers a new vision of human nature and a new understanding of human behaviour and social problems. Connection is the most essential human trait - it determines our behaviour and our level of well-being. Cruelty is the result of a sense of disconnection, while “goodness” stems from connection. Unfortunately, the most disconnected people gravitate to positions of power, which leads to “pathocracy,” the most common form of government during the 20th century. Disconnected societies are patriarchal, hierarchical and warlike. Connected societies are egalitarian, democratic and peaceful. We can measure both social progress and personal development in terms of how far we move along a continuum of connection. At the most essential level, we are always interconnected. Altruism and spirituality are experiences of our fundamental connection. Regaining awareness of our connection is the only way by which we can live in harmony with ourselves, one another, and the world itself.

About the Author :
Steve Taylor PhD is a senior lecturer in psychology at Leeds Beckett University. He is the author of many best-selling books on spirituality and psychology. For the past ten years, Steve has been included in Mind, Body Spirit magazine's list of the world's 100 most spiritually influential people. Eckhart Tolle has referred to his work as ‘an important contribution to the global shift in awakening.’ He lives in Manchester, UK.

Review :
Not since Eric Hoffer's post-war classic, The True Believer, have we been treated to such an insightful understanding of the roots of good and evil, summed up so simply and clearly. One need only look around the world today to grasp the power of this remarkable book.--Allan Combs, The University of North Carolina and The California Institute of Integral Studies Dr. Steve Taylor is a creative psychological thinker who has consistently enlarged our understanding of human experience and its highest possibilities. I recommend his newest book, DisConnected, is a lively and important work on politics and leadership. I recommend it to all who are concerned with humanity's future in our increasingly connected world.--Edward Hoffman Ph.D., author of Visions of Innocence and The Way of Splendour In his powerful new book, Steve Taylor sets out clearly how hyper-disconnected people are responsible for a large proportion of the brutality and suffering which has filled human history. He provides a stark warning that, in our time of 'Strongmen' leaders, hyper-disconnected people make the worst possible leaders in every conceivable way. In vividly demonstrating how protecting ourselves from such dangerous leaders is now the most urgent task facing humanity, DisConnected is essential reading in these frightening times.--Ian Hughes, author of Disordered Minds: How Dangerous Personalities are Destroying Democracy The task of linking modern psychological insights, the character of human societies, and perennial spiritual wisdom is crucial. Continuing his contribution to this work, through the lens of connection and disconnection, Steve Taylor does us a great service. He will aid those who are confused about the nature of enlightenment, those who suffer because their lives are distorted by disconnection in themselves or those around them. He will also help others who perceive the fundamental connection that is our ground and seek to understand more, practically and experientially, about the depths and intimacies of our being.--Dr. Mark Vernon, writer and psychotherapist This may be the most important book you read this year. Documenting how increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns are fuelling the rise of pathocracy--literally rule by the disordered--Dr. Taylor explains why malignant narcissists are taking over the world in the 21st Century.--John Gartner Ph.D., Founder, Duty To Warn