The Taxonomy of Our Commonwealth

The Taxonomy of Our Commonwealth examines the human animal, the systems we have built around ourselves, and the democratic republic we are responsible for maintaining.

Guy Herman traces the biological, psychological, social, and moral forces that make people capable of remarkable cooperation and sacrifice, but also tribalism, domination, and self-deception. That contradiction, he argues, cannot be eliminated; it must be understood and governed.

Turning to an American republic under strain, the book considers weakened institutions, concentrated power, polarization, technological disruption, economic pressure, and civic isolation. It closes by asking what citizens can do—from neighborhoods and schools to courts and constitutional structures—to keep a functioning commonwealth alive.

This is an owner’s manual grounded in faithfulness: the obligation to continue building institutions whose full benefits we may never personally see.