Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
My name is Samy Barnat. I have been an independent and multidisciplinary researcher in human sciences for 10 years now. Independent and multidisciplinary are two keys words important to understand my work. An independent research brings outside of the box thinking. A multi-disciplinary background (psychology, politics, economics, philosophy…) gives a rare global vision that many experts lack. Both precious to find global solutions to the global crises we face. Indeed most scientists have been working in silos isolating the different disciplines social and non-social. But reality is one and all these disciplines interconnected. For example, the science of emotions interact with the rest of cognition and society to form happy or suffering personalities. To be happy you need to understand yourself but also society and even broader your ecosystem. Because happiness requires to live in a way that causes no regrets later on. And you can do that only if you have a knowledge broad enough. For example, if you consume anything without worrying about the consequences to find out later that the food you consumed caused you or your kids a cancer you will be full of regrets… Concerning my educational background, I have multiple graduations: social sciences especially psychology, philosophy, politics but also engineering. Many people don’t understand the value of philosophy. In your opinion why two philosophers Adam Smith and Karl Marx created the two systems that dominated the modern world? If philosophy has no value? On the contrary, philosophy is the art of interrogating the deepest questions about human life with maximum skepticism to find the most solid foundations possible to live our lives. Any serious scientist also knows that the ancestor of human sciences for thousands of years was philosophy and that a lot of the theories of psychology were taken from philosophy until very recently with the Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) inspired by Stoic Philosophy which is in fact a Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy. Concerning my degree in engineering, it gave me a unique perspective to combine engineering with human sciences, like others before me also did to be more creative indeed many concepts of psychology are analogies from mechanics: resilience, psychological structures… Better Than Capitalism is my first book.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My first and only book as per now (2020) is Better Than Capitalism. It was inspired by my long years of research to try to find a better system than the current dominating system. Indeed the free market and globalization are destroying our lives. Destroy our lives really? Yes really, the value of your money is stolen through devaluation, pollution destroys your health, overconsumption destroys the environment and leads to wars. But that’s not all, there is also climate change. We hear so much about climate change but are not told enough why it matters. To summarize in one sentence: life cannot exist outside of a narrow range of temperatures. To give you an idea of what a small increase in temperature can do to the environment you just have to know that 250 million years ago the worse mass extinction began when carbon dioxide increased global warming of more than 5 degrees Celsius resulting in a release of methane19. It has been called the Great Dying as 90% – 96% of species went extinct. The famous Paris agreement was aiming to stabilize us at a maximum of 2 degrees. But it was an empty promise we have not reduced but increased our CO2 emissions since. We are on our way to reach 4 degrees according to most scientific predictions.
And anyway, globalization will end so be prepared is the minimum anyone clever should do. Globalization will end really? Of course in the future not so far we will finish oil reserves and this civilization will collapse it is a fact. The machines used to produce food need oil. The trucks to transport food to the supermarket need oil. Without oil, you simply go to the supermarket and there is not enough food to buy! That should worry you a lot because it is coming, the world oil reserves will come to an end. It is not just some theory this is science and facts. Just now we have oil but that will not last we consume it faster and faster with more and more countries being industrialized. So are you going to wait that we run out of oil to prepare yourself and your family? If you do that you risk the worse: being without food and at risk of civil war with other people looking for food and water. Don’t be skeptical right now people are at war for water and food, it has happened again and again through history what protects you more than others? The government can’t protect you from everything (as proved the Covid-19 crisis). You are on your own. The conclusion is simple how are you going to live when the system you currently depend on will collapse? This book is the answer to this question.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
Not really.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Socrates, Platon, Aristotle, Descartes, Nietzsche, Marx, Smith…
What are you working on now?
The marketing of Better Than Capitalism.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I am still a beginner I learned a lot from https://kindlepreneur.com/ Dave is awesome the best I have found until now.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Learn a lot from https://kindlepreneur.com/ Dave is awesome the best I have found until now.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
“Change what you can’t accept, accept what you can’t change at least until you find a solution.” – Me
“Shoot for the moon even if you miss you will land among the stars.” – Les Brown?
What are you reading now?
Globalization and its discontents.
What’s next for you as a writer?
My next book on happiness.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
For me reading is about changing the world to make it a better place this is why I became a researcher in human sciences and philosopher. The people who had the biggest impact to improve the well-being of the world did it through either inventions or ideas. Science was just an idea but it completely transformed the world. Free market was just an idea it did a lot of good but also a lot of bad it is time for the next big idea to transform our civilization this is what my book Better Than Capitalism is about. And my next book will be even as important: a guide to living a happy life. I wrote them because I came to realize that nobody addressed those topics well enough I am not being arrogant just being honest. So if I had to take two non-fiction books with me it would be my two books. If I had to take fiction books with me probably the Lord of the Rings series.
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