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Future Smart by James Canton:
Increasing velocity and complexity define the world, and you’d better figure out how to deal with it now or else! This is the message from Canton’s Future Smart. An internationally recognized global futurist, Canton’s thesis is that most people are not ready for the disruptive changes coming our way. In Future Smart, he attempts to show his readers the opportunities and share the emerging strategies from the volatile changes happening all around us.
I find this book compelling for several reasons: First, the time horizon he considers takes place in the decade of the 2030’s – the same time horizon I consider in my novel. Second, Canton argues that the only way to actually shape the future is to engage in the work of attempting to predict the future.
While I appreciate his boldness, Canton’s vision of the 2030s differs markedly from my own. He sees a rapidly accelerating trend toward a singularity filled with minds that are neurologically connected to artificial intelligence and a global ecological renaissance. This may indeed be the future we face, or we may face a future that I describe, one where human hubris has led to a near-collapse of civilization requiring heroic efforts to rebuild.
Whatever your own vision may be, Future Smart represents a plausible future scenario that is well worth considering.
