This chapter covers five very different ways of assessing people by measuring their behaviour and choices. By far the most sensitive issue is the measurement of intelligence. Whilst the academic literature is very clear: intelligence can be easily and accurately measured and is highly predictive of many aspects of daily life (including work productivity), in the ‘practical world’ of Human Resources people are very cautious about using these tests because of established group differences. The chapter also looks at unobtrusive measures sometimes called snooping, which is concerned with how certain features of our life (office/bedroom layout) give a surprising insight into an individual’s personality and values. The chapter also considers situational judgement tests, which describe or show a typical workplace situation and candidates are required to select the best response. Fourth, the chapter looks at the definition and measurement of creativity, which remains something of a backwater in psychometric research, though selectors rate it very highly. Finally, the chapter looks at gamification, which involves the assessment of people by how they play various electronic games.

Innovations of the Anthropocene rely on expanded group agency. Popular culture, growing first through literacy, brought successful antislavery campaigns. A spate of twentieth-century media highlighted celebrities, reaching across family and ethnic lines. New knowledge arose at both general and specialized levels. Literacy and the internet have now reached most adults, while specialized knowledge, in disciplines within universities and institutes, confirms human biological equality. Yet results can be contradictory: patents enabled monopolization of knowledge, while open-source computing brought its sharing. The juncture of popular culture with the exchanges of knowledge created a global discourse: indeed, a democratic discourse, in that more and more participated. Topics ranged across the claims of indigenous peoples, the meaning of equality, gender issues, environmental worries, and religious views. Ideologies conflicted, since social priorities and perspectives varied, yet debate continued. This trajectory yields a call for global debate more than for world government – a balance among multiple perspectives rather than delegation to a global elite.