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A review by wintrovia
Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Steven Kotler, Peter H. Diamandis
5.0
Whenever I see anything about the environment or natural resources I start to feel a bit panicky. Things seem to be running out, people are hungry, we’re burning too many fossil fuels and the planet is wheezing to a standstill because of our excesses.
This book acknowledges the challenges we’re facing as a planet but takes a far more optimistic look at them. The arguments raised in Abundance suggest that technological developments that are either here or just around the corner can mean that we live in a world where there’s plenty of everything for everyone.
It was refreshing to read such an optimistic book and I enjoyed hearing about the potential developments that will improve the world. The different chapters take one subject, like energy, water or education, and show how there is potential to overcome today’s problems and live in a better world.
I don’t know enough about the subjects discussed to say whether the things suggested in this book are backed by solid evidence but I got the feeling that it was all legitimate. I suspect further reading would reveal counter-arguments to their points and more skeptical outlooks but the predictions don’t have the fantastical crazy-talk feel that you see in some TED talks.
The writing style is straight forward and the breadth of subjects covered were always easy enough to follow. Those with more specialist knowledge might find that the book is frustrating light on details but I found there was just enough to whet the appetite and encourage further reading on the bits that are of most interest.
This is the best book I’ve read about the environment and social issues for a long time. I finished it feeling that the world is full of possibilities and there are great ideas out there that can give us a bright future. That’s quite a rare thing to take away from a book.
This book acknowledges the challenges we’re facing as a planet but takes a far more optimistic look at them. The arguments raised in Abundance suggest that technological developments that are either here or just around the corner can mean that we live in a world where there’s plenty of everything for everyone.
It was refreshing to read such an optimistic book and I enjoyed hearing about the potential developments that will improve the world. The different chapters take one subject, like energy, water or education, and show how there is potential to overcome today’s problems and live in a better world.
I don’t know enough about the subjects discussed to say whether the things suggested in this book are backed by solid evidence but I got the feeling that it was all legitimate. I suspect further reading would reveal counter-arguments to their points and more skeptical outlooks but the predictions don’t have the fantastical crazy-talk feel that you see in some TED talks.
The writing style is straight forward and the breadth of subjects covered were always easy enough to follow. Those with more specialist knowledge might find that the book is frustrating light on details but I found there was just enough to whet the appetite and encourage further reading on the bits that are of most interest.
This is the best book I’ve read about the environment and social issues for a long time. I finished it feeling that the world is full of possibilities and there are great ideas out there that can give us a bright future. That’s quite a rare thing to take away from a book.