Readers' rating:
Published Aug 2006
448 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
James Martin tells us that we are living in a turning point in human history. "We are traveling at breakneck speed into an era of extremes - extremes of wealth and poverty, extremes in technology, extremes of globalism. If we are to survive, we must learn how to manage them all." Although we now face huge challenges and conflicts, the scientific breakthroughs of the twenty-first century will provide new hope for our future. The best strategy, Martin believes, is to discover how to use our intelligence and technology to transform the world before we destroy the planet and ourselves along with it.
"Often reading like a course catalogue for Oxford University's new James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization, the book should arguably have been split into two or three installments, but tech enthusiasts will find much to spur debate." - PW.
"Martin cautions that the very survival of our planet and its inhabitants depends in large part on how the "transition generation" of today's younger people manages its leadership responsibilities in the 21st century." - Library Journal.
"In the face of doom, Martin has a positive outlook that sometimes verges on Pollyanna territory ..... Fans of H.G. Wells will enjoy the argument, which is definitely not for Luddites." - Kirkus.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Martin is considered by some to be the "Guru of the Information Age". He is also the author of The Wired Society (1978) and After The Internet 2000. The ideas in this book are being developed into a series of documentaries, hosted by Martin, for public television.
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