The Self, the Crowd, and Social Contagion (with Luke Burgis)
Author Luke Burgis delves into the dichotomy between the self and the crowd in his latest book, “The One and the Ninety-Nine: Forging Identity in the Age of Social Contagion.” In a conversation with EconTalk host Russ Roberts, Burgis explores the tension between individuality and group identity, drawing inspiration from the Parable of the Lost Sheep in the Bible.
The title of the book, “The One and the Ninety-Nine,” reflects the concept of the self as the “One” and the crowd as the “Ninety-Nine.” Burgis explains that the Parable of the Lost Sheep, where Jesus leaves the ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that wandered off, has always intrigued him. He questions the economic rationale behind risking the majority to save the minority and delves into the deeper meaning of the parable in terms of individuality within groups.
Burgis challenges the traditional interpretation of the lost sheep as a sinner in need of salvation, instead suggesting that the sheep may have intentionally wandered off to explore its own path. He emphasizes the importance of differentiating oneself within a group to maintain individual identity while also being in communion with others. The book focuses on the process of transformation that individuals undergo when navigating the tension between self-expression and group conformity.
Russ Roberts highlights the human desire to belong to tribes and seek out like-minded communities, often as a means of escaping the solitude of individual existence. Burgis acknowledges this tendency but emphasizes the need for individuals to embrace their uniqueness and allow the tension of group dynamics to shape their personal growth. The book presents a relational ontology, emphasizing the significance of understanding individuals in relation to others and the transformative power of community experiences.
Overall, “The One and the Ninety-Nine” offers a thought-provoking exploration of identity formation in the modern age of social contagion, challenging readers to navigate the delicate balance between self-discovery and group belonging. Burgis’s insights shed light on the complexities of human relationships and the profound impact of community interactions on personal development. The concept of maintaining one’s individuality within various communities and groups is a complex and challenging one. In today’s world, where technology and social media often encourage conformity and echo chambers, the need to preserve one’s unique self becomes even more crucial.
Author Luke Burgis delves into this topic in his book, exploring the idea of a “solid self” that is not constantly renegotiating itself to fit in with a particular group. He emphasizes the importance of being able to sit in tension within communities, rather than always seeking out like-minded individuals to avoid conflict.
Burgis acknowledges that he exists in multiple groups that are important to his identity, such as family, church, and work. However, he points out that none of these groups fully capture who he is as an individual. He references scholars like Christopher Lasch and Eric Hoffer, who have written about the concept of the minimal self and the dangers of joining groups to escape from an unwanted or flimsy self.
The modern world, with its emphasis on removing friction and promoting group cohesion, can make it difficult for individuals to maintain their autonomy and uniqueness. Burgis challenges readers to cultivate a solid self that can serve as a reference point beyond the logic of any single group, thereby fostering healthier and stronger communities.
The author also touches on the role of religion and politics in shaping individual identity, noting the fine gradations within these communities that can lead to tension and conflict. He raises thought-provoking questions about the impartial spectator and the role of technology in mediating our understanding of reality and truth.
Ultimately, Burgis advocates for a value response that goes beyond socially mediated beliefs, encouraging individuals to have the courage to respond to objective truths that are inherently good and beautiful. By exploring various realms, from religion to politics to education, he seeks to uncover what is missing in society that would enable more people to embrace their unique selves and engage with reality on a deeper level.
In a world where conformity and tribalism often reign supreme, Burgis’s book serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of maintaining one’s individuality and resisting the urge to blend in with the crowd. It challenges readers to embrace the tension of standing apart from the groups that shape us, and to seek out a solid self that can transcend the limitations of any single community. And this continues into adulthood, where we find ourselves conforming to societal expectations, seeking validation and approval from others, and often sacrificing our own sense of self in the process.
As parents, it’s important to recognize the power dynamics within the family and the impact they have on our children. We must strive to create a space where our children can develop their own sense of self, separate from our own desires and expectations. This means allowing them to express their own interests, opinions, and emotions, even if they differ from our own.
As children, it’s important to learn to navigate the complex dynamics within the family and society at large. We must learn to differentiate ourselves from our parents and siblings, while also learning to empathize and connect with others. It’s essential to develop a strong sense of self, grounded in our own values and beliefs, rather than constantly seeking approval from others.
Ultimately, the story of the father and son playing catch highlights the importance of individuality within the family unit. It serves as a reminder that each person is unique and deserving of respect and autonomy. By fostering a sense of differentiation and self-awareness within our families, we can help our children grow into confident, independent individuals who are capable of navigating the complexities of the world around them. Education is often seen as a means to an end, a way to secure a good job or build a successful career. But Luke Burgis, in a recent conversation with Russ Roberts, suggests that education should be about more than just acquiring skills for the workforce. It should be about shaping our beliefs, commitments, and values.
Burgis argues that a core part of education is learning not just facts and figures, but about ourselves. It’s about understanding what we truly believe in, what we’re willing to stand up for, and what we’re willing to walk away from. This process of self-discovery is crucial in shaping our instincts and guiding our decisions in life.
He emphasizes that a real education should go beyond preparing us for a job; it should prepare us for life. It should help us navigate the complexities of relationships, whether it’s choosing a life partner or finding a community to belong to. Education should equip us with the tools to make thoughtful and intentional choices about the kind of person we want to be and the kind of relationships we want to cultivate.
In a world that often values conformity and tribalism, Burgis advocates for the importance of individuality and independence of thought. He believes that true growth and progress come from being able to stand apart from the crowd, to question the status quo, and to challenge our own beliefs.
Burgis acknowledges that this process of self-discovery and differentiation can be uncomfortable and challenging. It may require us to confront difficult truths, have uncomfortable conversations, and even make sacrifices. But he believes that the rewards of being true to ourselves and living authentically far outweigh the costs.
Ultimately, Burgis argues that education should not just be about acquiring knowledge, but about developing wisdom and character. It should be about learning to tolerate dissent and anxiety, to embrace complexity and ambiguity, and to cultivate the courage to be true to ourselves, even when it’s difficult. Only then, he believes, can we truly grow and flourish as individuals and as a society.
So, if we don’t have rites of passage, if we don’t have processes of differentiation through which we are transformed, then it makes sense that people might be hesitant to enter into big commitments like marriage. Because they don’t have the experience of being transformed by a process. They don’t have the experience of going through that liminal stage where everything is in doubt and they come out the other side a different person.
Education should be about creating those experiences of transformation. It should be about helping students go through the process of differentiation, of becoming more fully themselves. And that’s why I think it’s so important to emphasize the art of association, the science of association, because it’s through our relationships with others that we are formed.
So, if we want to see more young people entering into marriage, into committed relationships, into big life decisions, then we need to focus on creating those experiences of transformation. We need to help them see that these decisions are not just about content or knowledge transfer, but about becoming the people they want to be.
And that’s why I think that kind of education, the kind that focuses on formation rather than just information, is so crucial. It’s about helping students become hunters, not gatherers. It’s about giving them agency and responsibility in their own learning. It’s about creating processes of differentiation through which they can be transformed.
So, let’s bring back the science of association. Let’s focus on the art of association. Let’s help young people see that their decisions matter, that they shape who they become. Let’s create those rites of passage, those experiences of transformation, that will help them enter into adulthood with confidence and purpose.
Because at the end of the day, education is not just about what you know. It’s about who you are becoming.
Maybe you leave and you go and you move to a different city and you join a different group. Those have been disappearing.
Marriage is a very serious rite of passage. It’s a radical lifestyle change. If you’ve had no practice, I guess, in experiencing what it’s like to embark on one of these transformative experiences, then I think it can seem incredibly daunting, and people are looking for some kind of a utilitarian proof that it’s the right choice. I had a very good friend of mine who wanted me to explain in some kind of an empirical way why he would be happier if he got married. And, I couldn’t give him the proof that he was looking for. And he ended up not getting married. And at some point, that was a commitment that he was going to have to make.
I think we’re not looking early enough, in our society. There are all kinds of reasons. I’m not discounting the stability reasons, economic reasons. But if you don’t feel like you have a solid sense of self, you don’t have a certain sense of maturity, it’s particularly scary. One of the ways that you acquire a solid sense of self, a differentiated personhood, is by going through various rites of passage–some of them small, some of them larger. And we just don’t have it. The rites of passage that we have are online. They happen on the Internet often. And those are weak ones.
Russ Roberts: I just wonder what role our relatively–passive isn’t the right word, I don’t know how to describe it–our current education system, which is rarely about learning for the sake of learning, rarely about the excitement of learning, and certainly not about transformation. It’s about passing an exam, doing well in the SAT [Standardized Achievement Test], whatever it is, getting a piece of paper. You write at one point, quote:
Humanities and the arts such as poetry once trained people in the disciplined act of attention, of discerning what truly matters rather than being told what matters.
That seems to be an enormous part of what’s been lost. We’re told what matters. We do determine it to some extent through our feed and our curation of that, but the idea that you should educate yourself to think about what to pay attention to is a really surprisingly radical idea in 2026.
Luke Burgis: We’re not only told what to pay attention to, but certain things are given to us in mass amounts and we pay attention to them because a bunch of other people are paying attention to them, and especially our social feeds if you’re on social media. And it happens through this mimetic process, and untethered from reality or from what’s actually important.
In this kind of new media environment that we live in, it actually seems to be getting worse. I didn’t think it could get worse than it was five or six years ago, but it really seems to be worse in the sense that there are people explicitly saying what the media environment is and then doubling down on the mimetic nature of it.
So, training the senses–the sensory perception, what used to be called the sensus communis–does not mean common sense. The sensus communis is the point at which our senses–not just our five physical senses–but we have intellectual senses to perceive truth. I would say that we have spiritual senses so we can read things at different levels of meaning. There’s a literal sense, there’s an analogical sense, there’s an allegorical sense. We have various intellectual, physical, spiritual senses. The sensus communis is when they all cohere to give us a perception of reality–right?–so we’re not limiting ourselves to one sense.
And I’m a fan of Marshall McLuhan, so I fully believe when he says technology often extends one sense to the detriment of others. And that’s one of the ways that it’s causing us to lose the sensus communis–this cohesion of senses that allows us to see what’s real and what’s unreal, what matters and what doesn’t.
And, education should be, in my opinion–the future of education–is a training in recovering that sensus communis, right? The sensory perception to perceive the world and to cut through the noise. If education can’t do that, then it seems like it’s training us to just be responsive to the mimetic environment that we already live in.
Russ Roberts: Somebody on Substack, James Vermillion, in response actually to some EconTalk episode, wrote a beautiful description of this that captures some of what your book is about. He talked about, quote, “the cultivation of an inner life substantial enough to withstand the world’s pull.” You can think about that as the pull of the Ninety-Nine–your tribe, your community. Here at Shalem College in Jerusalem, we think that’s what we’re doing. We’re trying to give people an inner life substantial enough to withstand the world’s pull. We think we’re trying to discipline their attention to discern what truly matters. These are all kind of vague phrases that I would simplify by saying to think for yourself. That’s too short, but one way of describing what it means to be the One in the face of the Ninety-Nine.
But it seems to me, after reading your book, that your education in these matters–this ideal of this higher level of what we might call education–is you’re self-educated. You went through the standard process that most people do in America and then you found at some point late in your, I think, 20s, that your life was, although on the surface, quite successful, deeply dissatisfying. And you embarked on a journey of self-education–an odyssey of sorts. Talk about that a little bit. I would just ask you whether this process of, quote, “real education” usually is going to have to take place outside of the classroom. Maybe it once took place in the classroom, but in the modern world, it’s on your plate. You got to take care of it, if you’re listening out there.
Luke Burgis: For me, education was a very passive experience, almost like something that had become gamified. My education, for a long time, was just a means to an end. I was trying to get good grades, trying to get into a good college, trying to land a good job. And I realized that I was missing something essential. I felt unfulfilled and disconnected from my true self.
So, I embarked on a journey of self-education. I read voraciously, I explored different philosophies and spiritual traditions, I sought out mentors who could guide me in my quest for meaning and purpose. It was a challenging and sometimes lonely journey, but it was also incredibly rewarding. I discovered parts of myself that I never knew existed, and I found a sense of inner peace and contentment that I had been missing for so long.
I believe that real education, the kind that cultivates an inner life substantial enough to withstand the world’s pull, often has to take place outside of the traditional classroom setting. It requires a willingness to question the status quo, to think for oneself, and to seek out knowledge and wisdom wherever it may be found. It’s a lifelong journey of self-discovery and growth, and it’s a journey that can lead to profound personal transformation.
