The Scene That Became Cities: What Burning Man Philosophy Can Teach Us about Building Better Communities

A practical and irreverent guide to Burning Man its philosophy why people do this to themselves and how it matters to the worldOver 30 years Burning Man has gone from two families on a San Francisco beach to a global movement in which hundreds of thousands of people around the world create events on every continent. It has been the subject of fawning media profiles an exhibit in the Smithsonian and is beloved by tech billionaires and boho counterculturalists alike. But why does it matter? What does it actually have to offer us? The answer Caveat Magister writes is simple: Burning Man's philosophy can help us build better communities in which individuals' freedom to follow their own authentic passions also brings them together in common purpose. Burning Man is a prototype and its philosophy is a how-to manual for better communities that instead of rules offers principles. Featuring iconic and impossible stories from the playa interviews with Burning Man's founders and staff and personal recollections of the late Larry Harvey--Burning Man's founder Chief Philosophical Officer and the author's close friend and colleague--The Scene That Became Cities introduces readers to the experience of Burning Man; explains why it grew; posits how it could impact fields as diverse as art economics and politics; and makes the ideas behind it accessible actionable and useful.

Paperback: 356 pages

Publisher: North Atlantic Books (June 25 2019)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1623173698

ISBN-13: 978-1623173692

Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 8.9 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds