Books by Hugh Mackay

Generous, erudite, optimistic and candid...Hugh Mackay encourages us to find the best in ourselves and in our society in both good and troubled times.

Ever wondered what 'human nature' really means?This new edition of What Makes Us Tick takes us beneath the often overwhelming surface noise of politics, economics, new technology and social change to explore something that hasn't changed: the ten desires that drive us all and, now in a new prologue, the seven characteristics that define us as a species. From our desire to be taken seriously, to be useful and to be loved, to the desire for more, the desire for control and the desire for something to believe in, these universal human motivations powerfully influence our behaviour towards each other. Hugh Mackay goes to the heart of what it means to be human. This is a book that explains us to ourselves and, in the process, helps us understand each other a little better. It also encourages us to lead more generous, compassionate lives.

Drawing on a rich body of empirical work, this text explores three core themes of information society debates: the transformation of culture through the information revolution; changing patterns of work; and the reconfiguration of time and space.