WHATABOUTMEISM | MARCH 2025
WHATABOUTMEISM
Insights from game theory, behavioral economics and moral philosophy
Vincent F. Hendricks
ISBN: 978-3-031-84639-7 (softcover)
ISBN: 978-3-031-84640-3 (ebook)
New York: Springer Nature, March 2025
In this book, Vincent F. Hendricks draws on game theory, behavioral economics and moral philosophy in a scathing critique of what he calls whataboutmeism. A form of egoism in which life is viewed as a zero-sum game.
The colleague is promoted; a friend hangs out with another friend but not you; and your partner decides to spend the day off with the friends. Promptly we may ask: “What about me?!” Often enough the answer to that recurring question should simply be: “What about you? It’s not about you!”
By systematically confusing autonomy with egoism and groupthink with democracy we develop and sustain this way of thinking. To overcome this trend of whataboutmeism we must take a hard look at ourselves, the games we play, the way we behave and discipline ourselves into realizing ‘it’s not all about me’.
Humorous, erudite yet scholarly, the book covers this prevalent trend in society that rages online as well as offline. By providing a full analysis of said trend based on game theory, behavioral economics and moral philosophy, the author helps us realise that it’s not all about me. It’s about us.
Whataboutmeism (2025) is the first installment of the trilogy also including SUCKER NATION (2026) and Nobody Cares (2027):
1. Whataboutmeism: Insights from Game Theory, Behavioral Economics and Moral Philosophy (2025)
Whataboutmeism argues that when citizens prioritize personal validation over shared facts, democracy devolves into a zero-sum game of competing egos.
2. Sucker Nation: The Philosophy of Trading Wits for Vanity (2026)
Sucker Nation shows how the digital attention economy strips away individual autonomy by trapping even rational agents in exploitative, high-visibility power games.
3. Nobody Cares: The Philosophy of Indifference (2027)
Nobody Cares warns that the ultimate cost of this hyper-individualism is a state of mass apathy where the collapse of mutual concern makes collective democratic action impossible.
even rational agents in exploitative, high-visibility power games.
Table of Content
Prologue
- Life and zero-sum scenarios
- The whataboutme game
- Enough about me, what about you, what do you think of me?
- Moral depravity
- Seeing it coming a mile away
- Separate streadsheets
- Coward or crook?
- Work the problem, work together
- What about you?! It’s about us!
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Vincent F. Hendricks, born 1970, is Professor of Formal Philosophy at The University of Copenhagen. He is Director of the Center for Information and Bubble Studies (CIBS) sponsored by the Carlsberg Foundation. A prolific writer he has been was awarded a number of prizes for his research among them The Elite Research Prize by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, The Roskilde Festival Elite Research Prize, Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title Award and The Rosenkjær Prize. He was Editor-in-Chief of Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science between 2005-2015.
Press and Performances
- Goteborg Film Festival / Opening speaker / Vincent F. Hendricks, 01.02.2023: What About Me-Ism: How not to be personally pompous, predictable and pathetic. We are happy to welcome back Vincent F. Hendricks, Professor of formal philosophy at University of Copenhagen, as the opening speaker of TV Drama Vision!
Opening Keynote / Gothenburg Film Festival / 01.02.2023
Hendricks has over the years appeared in many international media including Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The Guardian, BBC, Le Monde, DIE ZEIT, Welt, TEDx, The Open Mind – Channel Thirteen, Wired, The Conversation, VICE, Quartz, New Statesman, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Danish Broadcasting Company, News POLSAT Poland, Tom Hartman Show, Pete Dominick Show, The David Packman Show, The Forbidden Speech podcast, SiriusXM, Ideasphere – National Public Radio, SputnikNews Radio UK, SRF Tagesschau CH, Neue Zuricher Zeitung CH, CNBC AFRICA, New Business Ethipoia, CPH:DOX, TRT World Turkey, ARD Radio Germany , TV2 News Denmark. Photo: Sif Meincke
