A Transformation Journey to Creative and Alternative Planetary Futures
A Transformation Journey to Creative and Alternative Planetary Futures

Author: Victor V. Motti

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2019-03-21

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1527531775

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book presents a counter-trend against nationalism, religious extremism, xenophobia, and racism. It advocates an alternative globalization based not on trade, the economy, and politics, but on humanity’s transcendence to a collective consciousness. Inspired by a pantheist worldview, it applies an integral perspective toward strategic foresight and anticipation on the planetary scale. Controversial, disappearing, and emerging binary oppositions are explained within the framework of the mythology of the Lord of Wisdom versus the Ignorant Mind. It shows that our anticipatory planetary era might be characterized by the acknowledgement of our “zero knowledge”, as measured in the ocean of all disciplines; zero carbon for energy; zero war in politics and zero killing in society; zero conscious beings excluded; and zero existence (as we have known it), as humanity merges into some higher and enriched complexity.

Space Systems and Sustainability
Space Systems and Sustainability

Author: Joseph N. Pelton

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-08-13

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 3030757358

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In his latest book, space scientist, futurist, and educator Joseph N. Pelton explores a dozen ways that Planet Earth is at “existential” risk, along with the many ways that space systems, data analytics, and advanced networking systems can help us cope with these global challenges. The chapters examine in a straightforward way how satellite systems and technol- ogy can drastically transform fields such as pandemic tracking and global medical responses, cosmic hazard monitoring, nuclear energy and waste disposal, water and land pollution, tele-education/telemedicine, and military conflict. Such examples show how orbiting smart systems will play an ever more vital role in our vulnerable modern world, allowing us to monitor, track, and respond to mounting problems of the 21st century. Dr. Pelton takes a broad view, probing the social, economic, and regulatory factors that are crucial to creating a more sustainable “Spaceship Earth.” This book is a call to action, promoting more organized international collaboration and investment in space technologies that can enable global change.

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible
The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible

Author: Vlad Petre Glăveanu

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-01-25

Total Pages: 1812

ISBN-13: 3030909131

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible represents a comprehensive resource for researchers and practitioners interested in an emerging multidisciplinary area within psychology and the social sciences: the study of how we engage with and cultivate the possible within self, society and culture. Far from being opposed either to the actual or the real, the possible engages with concrete facts and experiences, with the result of transforming them. This encyclopedia examines the notion of the possible and the concepts associated with it from standpoints within psychology, philosophy, sociology, neuroscience and logic, as well as multidisciplinary fields of research including anticipation studies, future studies, complexity theory and creativity research. Presenting multiple perspectives on the possible, the authors consider the distinct social, cultural and psychological processes - e.g., imagination, counterfactual thinking, wonder, play, inspiration, and many others - that define our engagement with new possibilities in domains as diverse as the arts, design and business.

Leadership for the Future
Leadership for the Future

Author: Thomas Mengel

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2021-06-29

Total Pages: 390

ISBN-13: 1527571610

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This volume explores various approaches to leadership from both the past and the present, critically analysing these in the light of possible future challenges and scenarios. In addition, by drawing from the field of future studies, it introduces the reader to concepts of leadership that are ‘future-ready’.

Ecovillages
Ecovillages

Author: Karen T. Litfin

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2014-01-15

Total Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 0745681239

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In a world of dwindling natural resources and mounting environmental crisis, who is devising ways of living that will work for the long haul? And how can we, as individuals, make a difference? To answer these fundamental questions, Professor Karen Litfin embarked upon a journey to many of the world’s ecovillagesÑintentional communities at the cutting-edge of sustainable living. From rural to urban, high tech to low tech, spiritual to secular, she discovered an under-the-radar global movement making positive and radical changes from the ground up. In this inspiring and insightful book, Karen Litfin shares her unique experience of these experiments in sustainable living through four broad windows - ecology, economics, community, and consciousness - or E2C2. Whether we live in an ecovillage or a city, she contends, we must incorporate these four key elements if we wish to harmonize our lives with our home planet. Not only is another world possible, it is already being born in small pockets the world over. These micro-societies, however, are small and time is short. Fortunately - as Litfin persuasively argues - their successes can be applied to existing social structures, from the local to the global scale, providing sustainable ways of living for generations to come. You can learn more about Karen's experiences on the Ecovillages website: http://ecovillagebook.org/

Climate Change and Society
Climate Change and Society

Author: John Urry

Publisher: Polity

Published: 2011-06-20

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 0745650376

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book explores the significance of human behaviour to understanding the causes and impacts of changing climates and to assessing varied ways of responding to such changes. So far the discipline that has represented and modelled such human behaviour is economics. By contrast Climate Change and Society tries to place the ‘social’ at the heart of both the analysis of climates and of the assessment of alternative futures. It demonstrates the importance of social practices organised into systems. In the fateful twentieth century various interlocking high carbon systems were established. This sedimented high carbon social practices, engendering huge population growth, increasing greenhouse gas emissions and the potentially declining availability of oil that made this world go round. Especially important in stabilising this pattern was the ‘carbon military-industrial complex’ around the world. The book goes on to examine how in this new century it is systems that have to change, to move from growing high carbon systems to those that are low carbon. Many suggestions are made as to how to innovate such low carbon systems. It is shown that such a transition has to happen fast so as to create positive feedbacks of each low carbon system upon each other. Various scenarios are elaborated of differing futures for the middle of this century, futures that all contain significant costs for the scale, extent and richness of social life. Climate Change and Society thus attempts to replace economics with sociology as the dominant discipline in climate change analysis. Sociology has spent much time examining the nature of modern societies, of modernity, but mostly failed to analyse the carbon resource base of such societies. This book seeks to remedy that failing. It should appeal to teachers and students in sociology, economics, environmental studies, geography, planning, politics and science studies, as well as to the public concerned with the long term future of carbon and society.

Future War
Future War

Author: Christopher Coker

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-11-12

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 1509502351

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Will tomorrow's wars be dominated by autonomous drones, land robots and warriors wired into a cybernetic network which can read their thoughts? Will war be fought with greater or lesser humanity? Will it be played out in cyberspace and further afield in Low Earth Orbit? Or will it be fought more intensely still in the sprawling cities of the developing world, the grim black holes of social exclusion on our increasingly unequal planet? Will the Great Powers reinvent conflict between themselves or is war destined to become much 'smaller' both in terms of its actors and the beliefs for which they will be willing to kill? In this illuminating new book Christopher Coker takes us on an incredible journey into the future of warfare. Focusing on contemporary trends that are changing the nature and dynamics of armed conflict, he shows how conflict will continue to evolve in ways that are unlikely to render our century any less bloody than the last. With insights from philosophy, cutting-edge scientific research and popular culture, Future War is a compelling and thought-provoking meditation on the shape of war to come.

China's Future
China's Future

Author: David Shambaugh

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2016-03-11

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 1509507175

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

China's future is arguably the most consequential question in global affairs. Having enjoyed unprecedented levels of growth, China is at a critical juncture in the development of its economy, society, polity, national security, and international relations. The direction the nation takes at this turning point will determine whether it stalls or continues to develop and prosper. Will China be successful in implementing a new wave of transformational reforms that could last decades and make it the world's leading superpower? Or will its leaders shy away from the drastic changes required because the regime's power is at risk? If so, will that lead to prolonged stagnation or even regime collapse? Might China move down a more liberal or even democratic path? Or will China instead emerge as a hard, authoritarian and aggressive superstate? In this new book, David Shambaugh argues that these potential pathways are all possibilities - but they depend on key decisions yet to be made by China's leaders, different pressures from within Chinese society, as well as actions taken by other nations. Assessing these scenarios and their implications, he offers a thoughtful and clear study of China's future for all those seeking to understand the country's likely trajectory over the coming decade and beyond.

Cross-Fertilizing Roots and Routes
Cross-Fertilizing Roots and Routes

Author: Ananta Kumar Giri

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2021-01-23

Total Pages: 437

ISBN-13: 981157118X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The book discusses how we can cross-fertilize relationship between roots and routes with and beyond the logic of closure, monological assertions and violence. The book draws upon multiple philosophical, historical, religious and spiritual traditions of the world to rethink our conceptions and productions of identity as well as our conventional understanding of roots and routes. The book particularly explores the vision and practice of creativity, socio-cultural regeneration and planetary realizations to cultivate new pathways of identity realization and new relationship between identities and differences in our fragile world today. Trans-disciplinary in engagement and trans-civilizational in its dialogical pathway, the book is a unique contribution to our contemporary scholarship about ethnicity, identity, social creativity, cultural regeneration and planetary realizations.

Cognitive Capitalism
Cognitive Capitalism

Author: Yann Moulier-Boutang

Publisher: Polity

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0745647324

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book argues that we are undergoing a transition from industrial capitalism to a new form of capitalism - what the author calls & lsquo; cognitive capitalism & rsquo;