Postmodernism meant the end of a uniting grand narrative and the beginning of an era of often melancholic irony. For decades now we have been wondering what follows this? For the very idea of a vision of the future appears outlawed by the postmodern predicament. Possibly metamodernism is the answer. An era which combines deep irony with earnest serenity, secularism with transcendence, and a utopian vision with the knowledge no vision will ever be the ‘right one’, writes Jules Evans.

The Listening Society is a new book by a writer called Hanzi Freinacht. He outlines a philosophy called metamodernism, which he says can be defined as an aesthetic movement, a developmental stage, and a political ideology. The political ideology - which has inspired alternative political parties in Sweden and Denmark - espouses a new politics focused on promoting not just happiness but the highest possible states of consciousness.

The book is refreshingly bold, and interesting in the way it brings together politics with transpersonal psychology and spirituality. Some of its ideas may seem outlandish, but they're already gaining traction in Nordic politics, so who knows?

Firstly, who is Hanzi Freinacht? This question - also the title of an early chapter - reminds me of Ayn Rand's constant query, who is John Galt? Like John Galt, Freinacht is a fearless outsider in a society yet to recognize his genius. He sits in a jacuzzi overlooking the Alps (in a chalet lent to him, we're told, by a millionaire friend) and foresees the future of the world. The photos of him on the internet suggest a Nordic hipster, Friedrich Nietzsche meets Tyler Brulé.