Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think

Description

The New York Times bestselling "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). 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-and fast. In Abundance, space entrepreneur turned innovation pioneer Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler document how progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, digital manufacturing synthetic biology, and other exponentially growing technologies will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we have in the previous 200 years. We will soon have the ability to meet and exceed the basic needs of every person on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp. Breaking down human needs by category-water, food, energy, healthcare, education, freedom-Diamandis and Kotler introduce us to innovators and industry captains making tremendous strides in each area. "Not only is Abundance a riveting page-turner...but it's a book that gives us a future worth fighting for" (The Christian Science Monitor).

Peter H. Diamandis, MD, is a New York Times bestselling author and the cofounder of Singularity University, Human Longevity, Inc., Celularity, Inc., and founder of Bold Capital Partners. He is the founder and Executive Chairman of XPRIZE. Diamandis has degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT and an MD from Harvard Medical School. Steven Kotler is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and the founder and executive director of the Flow Research Collective. His books include Stealing Fire, Bold, The Rise of Superman, Abundance, A Small Furry Prayer, Tomorrowland, West of Jesus, and Last Tango in Cyberspace. His work has been nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes, has been translated into more than forty languages, and has appeared in over a hundred publications, including The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, Wired, Forbes, and Time.

"I'd like readers to read Abundance...because if they did that, they would see that while the headlines are really bad in the world today, the trend lines are pretty good. Extreme poverty is down. [H]ealth care is improving dramatically around the world. There are developments now which make me believe we might be able to do what we did in the 90s which is use technological developments to create more jobs than we lose. For the last few months, for the first time in literally more than a decade, 40% of the new jobs have been in higher wage categories. I think people should read this and get some good ideas." -President Bill Clinton "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, futurist, and 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." -Tim Ferriss, #1 New York 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 "This engaging book is a needed corrective, a whirlwind tour of the latest developments in health care, agriculture, energy, and other fields ...The authors make a compelling case for optimism over dread as we face the exhilarating unknown." -Publisher's Weekly "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 "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