Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think: The Benign Conspiracy to Transform the World

New
Hardcover
2012
$18.89

Providing abundance is humanity's grandest challenge-this is a book about how we rise to meet it.

Providing abundance is humanity's grandest challenge-this is a book about how we rise to meet it.

We will soon be able to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman and child on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp. This bold, contrarian view, backed up by exhaustive research, introduces our near-term future, where exponentially growing technologies and three other powerful forces are conspiring to better the lives of billions. An antidote to pessimism by tech entrepreneur turned philanthropist, Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler.

Since the dawn of humanity, a privileged few have lived in stark contrast to the hardscrabble majority. Conventional wisdom says this gap cannot be closed. But it is closing-fast. The authors document how four forces-exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion-are conspiring to solve our biggest problems. Abundance establishes hard targets for change and lays out a strategic roadmap for governments, industry and entrepreneurs, giving us plenty of reason for optimism.

Examining human need by category-water, food, energy, healthcare, education, freedom-Diamandis and Kotler introduce dozens of innovators making great strides in each area: Larry Page, Steven Hawking, Dean Kamen, Daniel Kahneman, Elon Musk, Bill Joy, Stewart Brand, Jeff Skoll, Ray Kurzweil, Ratan Tata, Craig Venter, among many, many others.

Synopsis

Providing abundance is humanity's grandest challenge-this is a book about how we rise to meet it.

Providing abundance is humanity's grandest challenge-this is a book about how we rise to meet it.

We will soon be able to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman and child on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp. This bold, contrarian view, backed up by exhaustive research, introduces our near-term future, where exponentially growing technologies and three other powerful forces are conspiring to better the lives of billions. An antidote to pessimism by tech entrepreneur turned philanthropist, Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler.

Since the dawn of humanity, a privileged few have lived in stark contrast to the hardscrabble majority. Conventional wisdom says this gap cannot be closed. But it is closing-fast. The authors document how four forces-exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion-are conspiring to solve our biggest problems. Abundance establishes hard targets for change and lays out a strategic roadmap for governments, industry and entrepreneurs, giving us plenty of reason for optimism.

Examining human need by category-water, food, energy, healthcare, education, freedom-Diamandis and Kotler introduce dozens of innovators making great strides in each area: Larry Page, Steven Hawking, Dean Kamen, Daniel Kahneman, Elon Musk, Bill Joy, Stewart Brand, Jeff Skoll, Ray Kurzweil, Ratan Tata, Craig Venter, among many, many others.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Export
Published: 21 Feb 2012
ISBN 10: 1451614217
ISBN 13: 9781451614213

Media Reviews

At a moment when our world faces multiple crises and is awash in pessimism, Abundance redirects the conversation, spotlighting scientific innovators working to improve people's lives around the world. The result is more than a portrait of brilliant minds - it's a reminder of the infinite possibilities for doing good when we tap into our own empathy and wisdom. -Arianna Huffington, CEO, Huffington Post
This brilliant must-read book provides the key to the coming era of abundance replacing eons of scarcity, a powerful antidote to today's malaise and pessimism. -Ray Kurzweil, inventor, author and futurist, author of The Singularity is Near
Now that human beings communicate so easily, I suspect that nothing can stop the inevitable torrent of new technologies, new ideas and new arrangements that will transform the lives of our children. Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler give us a blinding glimpse of the innovations that are coming our way - and that they are helping to create. This is a vital book. -Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist
Diamandis and Kotler challenge us all to solve humanity's grand challenges. Innovative small teams are now empowered to accomplish what only governments and large corporations could once achieve. The result is nothing less than the most transformative and thrilling period in human history. --Timothy Ferriss, #1 NY Times bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek
Today, philanthropists, innovators and passionate entrepreneurs are more empowered than ever before to solve humanity's grand challenges. Abundance chronicles many of these stories and the emerging tools driving us towards an age of abundance. This is an audacious and powerful read! -Jeff Skoll
Abundance provides proof that the proper combination of technology, people and capital can meet any grand challenge. -Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group
Our future depends on optimists like Diamandis...even the most skeptical readers will come away from Abundance feeling less gloomy. --New York Times Book Review
A manifesto for the future that is grounded in practical solutions addressing the world's most pressing concerns: overpopulation, food, water, energy, education, health care and freedom. --The Wall Street Journal
A breezy case for optimism... Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think...[is] a godsend for those who suffer from Armageddon fatigue. --The Economist
In Abundance: Why the Future is Better Than You Think, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler offer a vision of the future that's truly awesome in both the most traditional and modern understandings of the word; it's as big as it as awe inspiring. -The Futurist
Abundance is not fantasy. It is a tale, say authors Diamandis and Kotler, of good news; a spritely and exciting collection of reasons why, despite the ever-constant refrain that Earth is on the verge of disaster, we must stay positive. --Christian Science Monitor
Enough with the dystopian fiction and Mayan end-of-the-world predictions! According to tech entrepeneur and philanthropist Peter Diamandis and science writer Steven Kotler, things are getting better, not worse. --USA Today
[Abundance is] fascinating and inspirational -- every politician should read it (but sadly that may be too much to hope for!) --Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, UK
Welcome to the feel good future. -Smithsonian
A nice reminder of how far we've come. --The New York Times Book Review
Curious what the future will look like? This books talks about what lies ahead, providing practical solutions for concerns like overpopulation, food, water, energy, freedom and health care. -Wall Street Journal

Author Bio

Peter H. Diamandis is the Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, co-founder and Chairman of Singularity University and the founder of more than a dozen high tech companies. Diamandis has degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT, and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School.
Steven Kotler is an author and journalist. His books include A Small Furry Prayer, West of Jesus, and The Angle Quickest for Flight. His articles have appeared in more than sixty publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Wired, Discover, GQ, and National Geographic. He also writes a regular blog for PsychologyToday.com.