A vote, a podcast, and the "Identity Trap"

I have some exciting news. My designer has put together some initial cover ideas for The Zero-Sum Illusion, and it is time to put them to a vote.

I want this book to feel authoritative, clean, and optimistic - a genuine toolkit for changemakers. I have narrowed it down to a few distinct visual concepts, but I need your eyes to help me pick the winner.

Could you do me a quick favour?

Please head over to the survey here: [link] (voting has now closed, as of 5 June 2026!)

I would love to know which one jumps out at you, and why, so I can refine them with the designer.

What I’m Reflecting on This Week: The Identity Trap

While evaluating these covers and thinking about how the book’s message will interface with a highly polarised world, I listened to a phenomenal episode of Peter Attia’s The Drive podcast.

Peter stepped back from his usual deep-dives into medicine to explore a concept that sits right at the root of everything: how to think scientifically.

He argues that scientific thinking isn't about wearing a white lab coat or memorising statistics - it is a disciplined process of evaluating claims with the ultimate goal of becoming less wrong over time.

He laid out five brilliant, practical tools for individual thinking:

• Treat certainty as a cue to slow down.

• Judge the process, not just the conclusion.

• Notice when identity is shaping your beliefs.

• Don't confuse criticism with understanding.

• Outsource your thinking carefully.

My wife returned from a business trip to Cairo and told me of her taxi ride to the airport with a taxi driver completely certain that "Putin is the only person holding the world together right now". This deeply held belief is exactly what the five steps above speak to. The third tool completely blew me away, and is something I cover deeply in the book, because it is exactly what we are up against in life, society, and our fight against widespread disinformation.

Is Your Tribe Doing Your Thinking For You?

Peter points out that humans are social primates. For 50 million years, our survival depended entirely on group belonging; exile meant a literal death sentence. Because of this, our brains are optimized to signal group loyalty, protect our status, and favor the tribe over objective reality.

When we are stuck in this mode, we engage in what game theorists call "coalitional thinking."

We don't look at a piece of news or a social policy logically. Instead, our group identity steps in and does the thinking for us. If our tribe likes it, we swallow it whole. If the "other side" proposes it, we reactively devalue it.

We think we are being rational, but more often than not, our highly developed brains are just manufacturing objective-sounding logic to defend our tribal armor.

If we want to build bridges and cultivate a truly positive-sum society, we have to start noticing when our identity is hijacking our intellect. The next time you feel a hot flush of absolute certainty or defensive rage online, pause and ask yourself: Am I evaluating the data, or is my group identity doing my thinking for me?

I highly recommend giving the episode a listen - it is an exceptional masterclass in intellectual humility.

Hit reply to cast your cover vote, and let me know your thoughts on the identity trap.

Have a great weekend.

Best wishes Grant

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