Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think
Are you worried about the future? Do you feel like economic, social or environmental challenges such as poverty and climate change are too overwhelming to contemplate? Let Steven Kotler's book, Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, give you some optimism. In his work, Kotler argues that humanity is closer than ever to tiding over these challenges, and brings forward a brief but compelling case for optimism.
Kotler begins by presenting four sets of challenges facing mankind: scarcity of resources, an aging population, climate change, and government failure. He then makes the case that technology has the potential to solve each of them. For instance, new advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing can help us produce more food with fewer resources, while new medical treatments could help us tackle both aging and diseases. He goes on to discuss the “exponential technologies” such as Moore's Law, which promises that computing power will double every two years—enabling us to tackle complex challenges at a rate never seen before.
The second part of the book focuses on how to bring about the change that is required to ensure this bright future. Kotler emphasizes the importance of a global mindset, suggesting that “what unites us is more powerful than what divides us.” He notes that even if not all of us have access to the same resources, we all have the same dreams, and suggests that we can work together to find ways to address the most pressing needs of the world. He calls for the implementation of “peer-to-peer networks” that could enable crowd-sourcing of ideas and help facilitate cross-cultural collaborations.
Finally, Kotler looks at the human factors that could make or break our journey towards a brighter future. He argues that much of the success will depend upon our ability to take risks, remain open-minded, and embrace a sense of collaboration. Moreover, he emphasizes the importance of “social entrepreneurship”—innovative businesses that use their profits to provide social change—suggesting that the most successful future-proof companies will be the ones that not only provide goods and services, but also work to solve larger societal problems.
In Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think, Steven Kotler expresses his belief that technology has the potential to usher in unprecedented changes. Using a series of real-world examples, he illustrates how current and future technologies could help us find solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. Moreover, he accentuates the importance of collective action and the need to embrace creative, entrepreneurial approaches in order to make those changes possible. In all, this brief but highly readable book provides an optimistic outlook on the future, and is sure to provide some much-needed inspiration to readers who may be feeling discouraged.
