Note: this column was published first on Medium. I will be joining Gerd Leonard and Glen HIemstra for a presentation to Sarasota Institute – a 21st Century Think Tank this Tuesday at 1p eastern time U.S. As one of the initiators of the #forkintheroadproject I hold the high-level view that from now to 2030 humanity will […]
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“Whether it is to be Utopia or Oblivion will be a touch-and-go relay race right up to the final moment… Humanity is in a final exam as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in the Universe.” – R. Buckminster Fuller, Utopia or Oblivion Fuller wrote this back in 1969, an incredibly […]
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In November, 2018, Democrats won a majority in congress. For us Democrats, that should have been good news. And it was, up to a point. For those of us Democrats who believe that the future is in space, there was a problem. People like Bernie Sanders—the most influential formulator of policy in the Democratic […]
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We are pleased to announce the publication of The Sarasota Institute’s Whitepaper #1, The Big Issues. It covers all 10 of the topics we believe are crucial for understanding and shaping the century. Here are some questions that we discuss within: When was the last time you heard anything radical about how to reform democracy? Do […]
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The developed countries of the world are in transition from economies based upon ownership to ones increasingly based upon rental or access. As much as any other trend, this will transform economics, consumption and how we live. The concept of ownership is deeply embedded in economic thought, policy and practice and has been for centuries. […]
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Gross Domestic Product (GDP) needs to be either re-thought, or scrapped as a measure of economy. Why? For several reasons, including: It measures output, not economy, and with grave unintended consequences It measures output domestically, and this is no longer a useful measure GDP Measures Output, Not Economy The whole point of both […]
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Natural resource issues are not just supply issues, such as the amount of reserves, and how to more efficiently extract them, or alternative supply sources (fossil fuel vs. alternatives). No, natural resource issues are also about altering the demand curve, too. This thoughtful piece points out that while the cost of alternative energy is rapidly […]
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