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Macroshift

Author Arthur Charles Clarke , Ervin Laszlo
Release Date: 2001/09/01
ISBN: 9781576751787
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Book Description

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 of Contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. Foreword
  6. Preface
  7. I: World in Macroshift
    1. 1. What is a Macroshift?
    2. 2. Macroshifts Past and Present
    3. 3. Decisive Factors in Today’s Macroshift
    4. 4. The Choice
  8. II: The New Imperatives
    1. 5. Forget Obsolete Beliefs
    2. 6. Learn to Live with Diversity
    3. 7. Embrace a Planetary Ethic
    4. 8. Meet Your Responsibilities
  9. III: The Way Ahead
    1. 9. Evolution from Logos to Holos
    2. 10. The Quiet Dawn of Holos Consciousness
    3. 11. You Can Change the World
  10. Twelve Comments by Members of the Club of Budapest:
    1. Peter Russell
    2. Edgar Mitchell
    3. Karan Singh
    4. Thomas Berry
    5. Robert Muller
    6. Riane Eisler
    7. Edgar Morin
    8. Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
    9. Ignazio Masulli
    10. Otto Herbert Hajek
    11. Peter Roche
    12. Gary Zukav
  11. Postscript
    1. The Holistic Paradigm in Science
  12. References & Further Reading
  13. Index
  14. About the Author
  15. About the Club of Budapest
    1. The Manifesto of Planetary Consciousness
    2. Honorary Members
    3. The Secretariat
    4. Additional Internet Resources
  16. Japan Peace Prize Commemorative Address
    1. That Peace may Prevail in this World
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