Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable WorldBerrett-Koehler Publishers, 16 sept. 2001 - 218 pages We live in the midst of one of the greatest technological revolutions in history, an era of deep-seated transformation-a macroshift in civilization, says preeminent scholar and futurist Ervin Laszlo. Its signs and manifestations are all around us, from the deadly HIV/AIDS epidemic sweeping Africa and the dangerous fire-trap sweatshops routinely killing workers in Bangladesh, to the environmental havoc created by genetic engineering, power plant pollution and mechanized agriculture. The application of new technologies has turned into a double-edged sword. The world is growing together in some respects, but is coming apart in others. Worldwide economic globalization, another sign of the macroshift, all too often benefits the few rather than the many. Hundreds of millions live at a higher material standard of living, but thousands of millions are pressed into abject poverty. The richest 20% earn ninety times the income of the poorest 20%, consume eleven times as much energy, and eat eleven times as much meat. There have been other macroshifts in human history, but they spanned centuries, allowing cultural values, beliefs, and change to occur gradually. Today, technology has reduced our time to adapt; the entire critical period of change is compressed into the lifetime of a generation. Today's macroshift, explains Laszlo, harbors great promise, as well as grave danger. He outlines two possible scenarios: "The Breakdown," where we choose to drift without a change in our current direction toward chaos, anarchy, and destruction, or "The Breakthrough," where we collectively transform our thinking and behavior to produce creative, sustainable solutions to dangerous global problems. And he shows what each of us can do-politically, professionally, and privately-to bring about the Breakthrough and shape a humane and sustainable global future. While technology is what drives the unprecedented speed of this macroshift, it is our vision, values, and actions now that will ultimately determine the outcome. The choice is up to us-the power is in our hands. |
Table des matières
THE NEW IMPERATIVES | 57 |
THE WAY AHEAD | 105 |
TWELVE COMMENTS BY MEMBERS OF THE CLUB OF BUDAPEST | 147 |
The Holistic Paradigm in Science | 173 |
References Further Reading | 195 |
199 | |
About the Author | 206 |
About the Club of Budapest | 210 |
That Peace May Prevail in This World | 221 |
Autres éditions - Tout afficher
Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World Ervin Laszlo Aucun aperçu disponible - 2001 |
Expressions et termes fréquents
aspirations basic become behavior beliefs billion chaos chaos theory choice civilization classical Club of Budapest complex consume consumption cooperation cosmos countries create cultural creatives diversity dominant dynamic Earth ecological ecological footprint economic emerging energy enterprises environment environmental Ervin Laszlo evolve experience future genetic global growing growth hectares Holos human family impact individual industrial innovations insight integrated intensive evolution Internet leaders lifestyles live Logos macroshift mindset Montescudaio morality mutations myth nation-states nature nomic organism Otto Herbert Hajek Parapsychology peace people’s percent Peter Ustinov physical planet Planetary Consciousness planetary ethic political pollution population produce quantum regional responsibility share shift social society species sphere spiritual Stanislav Grof structures Sumer survival sustainable technologies thinking tion today’s world traditional trends twenty-first century universe unsustainable Václav Havel values vision voluntary simplicity wave function collapses worldviews