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The Frankenstein Factor: Monster Success and Massive Failure
Hardcover
PhilosophyBusiness GeneralGeneral Political Science
Publisher: Wisdom/Work
Published: Jul 20 2026
Pages: 328
Weight: 1.31
Height: 0.88 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Ego. Power. Self-Focused Grandiosity. Inventions out of control. These forces now threaten us all on a scale never before seen. And it[s all about an inner motivational structure, a mindset, named here as The Frankenstein Factor that we can resist.
Pioneering public philosopher and bestselling author Tom Morris analyzes the source behind the most challenging problems of the present, with sharp and needed insights from our most astute poets, playwrights, and novelists. This book brings together great cautionary tales from history as a present warning about who never to hire, promote, invest in, vote for, support, or especially, be.
It's an extraordinary transformative dash through the wisdom of the ages that draws on Gilgamesh, the Iliad and the Odyssey, Sophocles' plays, Xenophon's Cyrus, The Bible, The Aeneid, Beowulf, Don Quixote, Marlowe's Faustus, reflected in Goethe and Thomas Mann, Moby Dick, Chinese wisdom, Buddhist thought, Mary Shelley's 1818 Frankenstein and her 1826 The Last Man, Sinclair Lewis' Elmer Gantry, Somerset Maugham's The Magician, Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea and Eric Clapton's Crossroads among other sources.
This deep dive into the many ways smart and creative people go terribly wrong can show you how to avoid being among their number and take a better path. It may change the way you think about leadership ... and your own life.
Advance Praise for The Frankenstein Factor
As someone who has read hundreds of leadership books, I've grown wary of the genre. After all, how many ways can someone espouse the same precepts? Aim high. Inspire with purpose. Plan ahead. Communicate often. Celebrate victories. Fail fast. But my philosopher friend Tom Morris has added a whole new layer to the leadership lexicon-not about statecraft, but soulcraft. If you wonder why so many of our most successful leaders-think Jobs or Musk or Bezos-sit with uneasy question marks in our minds, or why more CEOs lose their jobs because of ethical breaches than financial shortfalls, or why trust in business (and politics) remains perilously fragile, you must read this book. It is an idiosyncratic and entertaining romp through literature and culture that leads to some essential insights into true success. It's not just a worthy addition to the leadership library, it's an essential pillar of that library.
- Alan Murray, President, WSJ Leadership Institute, former CEO and Editor in Chief, Fortune.
Having worked for my share of toxic Frankenstein leaders, I have learned along the voyage of my life that the ideals of the philosophers win out in the end. In this marvelous and deeply literary work, Tom Morris captures the very essence of what should be at the center of any effective leader-a kind, thoughtful, balanced human heart.
- Admiral James G. Stravridis, New York Times Bestselling Author and Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Europe.
Tom Morris, my discipline's best ambassador to the world, here helps us think through the dangers of smart and ambitious people causing massive amounts of harm, in a book that is deep and powerful, but also clear, and memorable, and fun. It makes me proud to be a philosopher.
- Keith DeRose, Allison Foundation Professor of Philosophy, Yale University
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