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James Martin

The Meaning of the 21st Century

What does the 21^st century have in store for us. Well in The Meaning of the 21st Century James Martin argues that it may be good or bad - it depends on our actions over the next few years - but what we certainly won't get is more of the same.

On the one hand there are revolutionary new technologies becoming available such as nanotechnology, genetic modification and artificial intelligence. These will give those people who have access to them extraordinary possibilities, for instance the chance to live to be 120 and maybe much more. There is also talk of the acceleration of technology to such a degree that we reach the Singularity, after which our lifes will be completely different to what has gone before.

On the other hand, many people on our planet are starving. Although we talk about 'developing' nations, Martin points out that for many countries, 'failed' nation is a better term - their citizens have little hope of improvement, and with the growing environmental problems such as global warming, things are likely to get worse.

The interplay of these two forces will shape the coming century, and Martin is clearly trying to make sure that we get the optimistic view. While the book is not particularly deep in any one area, it does bring together a wide range of topics relevant to life in the coming decades. I would recommend it to everyone, as it is the sort of book that motivates the reader to play an part in the shaping of our common future.

Amazon.com info

Paperback 512 pages
ISBN: 1594482594
Salesrank: 770897
Weight:0.95 lbs

Published: 2007 Riverhead Trade

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Amazon.co.uk info

Paperback 576 pages
ISBN: 190391986X
Salesrank: 229399
Weight:0.79 lbs

Published: 2007 Eden Project Books

Amazon price £6.99

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Amazon.ca info

Paperback 512 pages
ISBN: 1594482594
Salesrank: 309308
Weight:0.95 lbs

Published: 2007 Riverhead (TRD)

Marketplace:New from CDN$ 13.53:Used from CDN$ 0.62

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Product Description
According to James Martin-known as "the guru of the Information Age"-humanity is at a crucial turning point. If we succeed in finding ways to support massive gains in population combined with dizzying technological progress, we have a magnificent future ahead of us. If we fail, we may well be headed for a new Dark Ages. In this provocative and prophetic book, Martin argues that we can use our intelligence and technology to transform the world rather than destroy it. Drawing on decades of experience as one of the world's most widely respected authorities on technology's impact on our lives, Martin outlines specific, achievable solutions for solving a wide array of problems, from repairing ocean ecosystems to lowering the birthrate to coping with advances in nanotechnology.

Product Description

According to James Martin-known as "the guru of the Information Age"-humanity is at a crucial turning point. If we succeed in finding ways to support massive gains in population combined with dizzying technological progress, we have a magnificent future ahead of us. If we fail, we may well be headed for a new Dark Ages.

In this provocative and prophetic book, Martin argues that we can use our intelligence and technology to transform the world rather than destroy it. Drawing on decades of experience as one of the world's most widely respected authorities on technology's impact on our lives, Martin outlines specific, achievable solutions for solving a wide array of problems, from repairing ocean ecosystems to lowering the birthrate to coping with advances in nanotechnology.

A introduction to alot of things ***
In general....this book provides a short, but useful, introduction to almost every topics that were written in this book. The author seems to be a person who knows something about almost everything, and he provided introductory knowledge to all those things that he touched on. For example, he gave a sweet and short introduction of what genes is, how can we change genes, then followed by those issues that he thought is relevant to his topic of discussion. Although some of his ideas were abit impractical to me, personally, this is a great book for a starter who wants to know more about the happenings of this modern society.

A introduction to alot of things ***

In general....this book provides a short, but useful, introduction to almost every topics that were written in this book. The author seems to be a person who knows something about almost everything, and he provided introductory knowledge to all those things that he touched on. For example, he gave a sweet and short introduction of what genes is, how can we change genes, then followed by those issues that he thought is relevant to his topic of discussion. Although some of his ideas were abit impractical to me, personally, this is a great book for a starter who wants to know more about the happenings of this modern society.

Roughly and helpfully right *****
This book is one of the most interesting and I dare say, important in my library. Read the other reviews for critiques of where he might be 'precisely wrong' in parts of his argument. But for all that he is, in my mind, roughly right nonetheless. In other words I think this is a book that has made an excellent interpretation of complex trends, explains and illustrates them helpfully, and has made a good contribution to human thought and, I hope, wellbeing. He sees the wood, and the trees (maybe misses and misconstrues a couple of trees at least) - I would advise anyone to buy this and engage with his thinking.

Roughly and helpfully right *****

This book is one of the most interesting and I dare say, important in my library. Read the other reviews for critiques of where he might be 'precisely wrong' in parts of his argument.
But for all that he is, in my mind, roughly right nonetheless. In other words I think this is a book that has made an excellent interpretation of complex trends, explains and illustrates them helpfully, and has made a good contribution to human thought and, I hope, wellbeing.
He sees the wood, and the trees (maybe misses and misconstrues a couple of trees at least) - I would advise anyone to buy this and engage with his thinking.

Sensible and to the point (except for the sci-fi projections) a realistic call to action. *****
A down-to-earth book that tells people what really matters. Be religious if you need to, be spiritual if you want, but what really matters are the actions of your day-to-day and the big picture view of the problems. They are many, but we are not seeing them and, worse yet, not acting on them. A must to educate people on the few things that can make life on earth miserable. The author deserves every accolade.

Sensible and to the point (except for the sci-fi projections) a realistic call to action. *****

A down-to-earth book that tells people what really matters. Be religious if you need to, be spiritual if you want, but what really matters are the actions of your day-to-day and the big picture view of the problems. They are many, but we are not seeing them and, worse yet, not acting on them. A must to educate people on the few things that can make life on earth miserable. The author deserves every accolade.

For all those who care about the human future- an extremely important book *****
This book aims to survey the present situation of Mankind, and to provide suggestions for saving it from disaster, and helping it move towards a better future. As James Martin sees it the twenty- first century will be a decisive one for Mankind and will decide whether we are going towards a New Dark Ages, or towards a remarkably prosperous and creative human future. As Martin sees it Mankind is now facing major problems a very good share of which are self- inflicted. Among these are the problems caused by our causing damage to the Earth, and to the Biosphere. Another area of possible damage and disaster is from Terrorism and War. Also the possibilities of production of dangerous viruses, of pandemic are also disturbing. On the up side he sees a future coming soon in which the great share of work will be done by robots, the situation where the work of the great mass of mankind will no longer be needed. Martin lists seventeen challenges facing us now. 1) The healing of the Earth, its climate and environment. 2) The problem of the Poverty and short brutal lives of a good share of mankind. 3) The challenge placed by Over- population and in his judgment the need to reduce human population. 4) The problem of Lifestyles, meaning the need for people to adopt more environmentally harmless lifestyles. 5) The need to prevent a War which could destroy Mankind. 6) The challenge presented by an irreversible Globalism which must be constructed so as to allow local cultures to thrive. 7) The challenge presented by danger to the biosphere, the loss of species. 8)The challenge of Global Terrorism 9) The challenge of Creativity for the younger generation 10) The challenge presented by Disease and possible pandemics. 11) The challenge to increase the degree to which human beings realize their potential 12)The challenge presented by the Singularity the moment computer intelligence begins to feed on itself. The danger that this may get out of control 13) The challenge of Existensial Risk of mankind learning to ban unacceptable risks even if this means limiting certain kinds of scientific activity 14) The challenge presented by Transhumanism or the enhancement of human beings which may alter human nature , or possibly lead to Civilizations beyond anything we can imagine today 15) The challenge presented by an Advanced Civilization in which machines do the work and human beings have opportunities for creation beyond those they had before. 16) The challenge of 'Gaia' the earth's self- control system which we may catastrophically disrupt 17) The challenge of the Skill/ Wisdom Gap. I was especially affected by Martin 's description of the hopelessness in poverty of that portion of mankind which lives on less than two- dollars a day. His description of the shantytown worlds of the fourth - world, of the hopelessness there suggest how right and urgent he is in pushing for programs to help the poor. In other areas too he is very convincing though I found his discussions of Terrorism and War very general, not really detailed enough. He should have gone more deeply into the threat presented by radical Islamic terrorism, and especially the present Iranian regime. Also while he does speak a great deal about the problems caused ecologically by the rapid economic growth of China and India, he does not touch upon the political problems of an aggressive Chinese foreign policy, and a Russia once again supplying arms to some of the world's most dangerous regimes. On the whole though I believe this is an extremely informative and important book, and one which should be read by all those who care for the human future.

For all those who care about the human future- an extremely important book *****

This book aims to survey the present situation of Mankind, and to provide suggestions for saving it from disaster, and helping it move towards a better future. As James Martin sees it the twenty- first century will be a decisive one for Mankind and will decide whether we are going towards a New Dark Ages, or towards a remarkably prosperous and creative human future. As Martin sees it Mankind is now facing major problems a very good share of which are self- inflicted. Among these are the problems caused by our causing damage to the Earth, and to the Biosphere. Another area of possible damage and disaster is from Terrorism and War. Also the possibilities of production of dangerous viruses, of pandemic are also disturbing. On the up side he sees a future coming soon in which the great share of work will be done by robots, the situation where the work of the great mass of mankind will no longer be needed.
Martin lists seventeen challenges facing us now. 1) The healing of the Earth, its climate and environment. 2) The problem of the Poverty and short brutal lives of a good share of mankind. 3) The challenge placed by Over- population and in his judgment the need to reduce human population. 4) The problem of Lifestyles, meaning the need for people to adopt more environmentally harmless lifestyles. 5) The need to prevent a War which could destroy Mankind. 6) The challenge presented by an irreversible Globalism which must be constructed so as to allow local cultures to thrive. 7) The challenge presented by danger to the biosphere, the loss of species. 8)The challenge of Global Terrorism 9) The challenge of Creativity for the younger generation 10) The challenge presented by Disease and possible pandemics. 11) The challenge to increase the degree to which human beings realize their potential 12)The challenge presented by the Singularity the moment computer intelligence begins to feed on itself. The danger that this may get out of control 13) The challenge of Existensial Risk of mankind learning to ban unacceptable risks even if this means limiting certain kinds of scientific activity 14) The challenge presented by Transhumanism or the enhancement of human beings which may alter human nature , or possibly lead to Civilizations beyond anything we can imagine today 15) The challenge presented by an Advanced Civilization in which machines do the work and human beings have opportunities for creation beyond those they had before. 16) The challenge of 'Gaia' the earth's self- control system which we may catastrophically disrupt 17) The challenge of the Skill/ Wisdom Gap.
I was especially affected by Martin 's description of the hopelessness in poverty of that portion of mankind which lives on less than two- dollars a day. His description of the shantytown worlds of the fourth - world, of the hopelessness there suggest how right and urgent he is in pushing for programs to help the poor. In other areas too he is very convincing though I found his discussions of Terrorism and War very general, not really detailed enough. He should have gone more deeply into the threat presented by radical Islamic terrorism, and especially the present Iranian regime. Also while he does speak a great deal about the problems caused ecologically by the rapid economic growth of China and India, he does not touch upon the political problems of an aggressive Chinese foreign policy, and a Russia once again supplying arms to some of the world's most dangerous regimes.
On the whole though I believe this is an extremely informative and important book, and one which should be read by all those who care for the human future.

A good rough draft in need of an editor ***
Some interesting material here, but poorly, poorly organized. Especially in the second half. Repetitive to a fault. Desperately needs footnotes, or an annotated bibliography. Too much unsubstantiated data. Also naive, especially when it comes to topics such as engineered foods, fruits, vegetables, etc. Scientists aren't going to engineer the tastiest variety. To heck with taste - as we have seen abundant evidence of in such foods so far - if it gets in the way of being easy to pick, having a long shelf life, insect resistance or the profit motive. This book is a good launching pad for further research by more credible sources, on the topics it raises.

A good rough draft in need of an editor ***

Some interesting material here, but poorly, poorly organized. Especially in the second half. Repetitive to a fault. Desperately needs footnotes, or an annotated bibliography. Too much unsubstantiated data. Also naive, especially when it comes to topics such as engineered foods, fruits, vegetables, etc. Scientists aren't going to engineer the tastiest variety. To heck with taste - as we have seen abundant evidence of in such foods so far - if it gets in the way of being easy to pick, having a long shelf life, insect resistance or the profit motive. This book is a good launching pad for further research by more credible sources, on the topics it raises.

Some hits and some misses - needed a better editor ****
James Martin had made a name as a futurologist with his book "The Wired Society" which predicted the impact that the internet would have on creating the world we live in. Here he predicts that the world will undergo a major transition during the 21st Century. He describes how the world will go through a transformation by travelling through the mid-century canyon and that it is imperative that mankind makes it to the other side. There are perils for making it through the canyon and for this reason he has set-up the James Martin 21st Century School at the University of Oxford, to try and work out how we can make it through safely. This is a school for civilisation and survival that links many disciplines. The canyon is a ncie metaphor and should provide a framework about which the book should be structured, so how we are now, problems of the canyon and how we might emerge, but this is not used well. We jump between problems and how we will emerge without saying how we get from one to the other. There is not enough focus on the canyon. This might be because Martin still does not have a clear view of the solutions - hence the School, but the canyon is getting very close and the book itself stressses the need for early action. Where the book is strongest is identifying the wasted resources in our current world. This is not just wasted natural resources that we plunder without adding them to the balance sheet, but also people, our biggest wasted resource. On this I think he has identified the biggest failure of current society. He also identifies the madness of excessive consumerism with endless trivial consumer goods. Where the books is weak is in the ideas about trans-humanism and our approaching Kurzweil's singularity - that we will be able to move in silico. If we do all the environmental problems go as we will never need food again! I also think he is too focussed on nuclear and biological weaponry which while a threat are nowhere near the levels of danger we faced 20 years ago. In the canyon bad things will happen, but we are unlikely to return to the total response view of the cold war. There is also too much emphasis on high civilisation - the higher arts. Florence in the time of da Vinci was not a great time to live. People were not enjoying high civilisation, they were fighting continuous wars to defend fragile democracies against tyrannical Princes. Great cultural movements do not mean good times for the citizens, which is what the future has to be about.

Some hits and some misses - needed a better editor ****

James Martin had made a name as a futurologist with his book "The Wired Society" which predicted the impact that the internet would have on creating the world we live in. Here he predicts that the world will undergo a major transition during the 21st Century. He describes how the world will go through a transformation by travelling through the mid-century canyon and that it is imperative that mankind makes it to the other side. There are perils for making it through the canyon and for this reason he has set-up the James Martin 21st Century School at the University of Oxford, to try and work out how we can make it through safely. This is a school for civilisation and survival that links many disciplines.

The canyon is a ncie metaphor and should provide a framework about which the book should be structured, so how we are now, problems of the canyon and how we might emerge, but this is not used well. We jump between problems and how we will emerge without saying how we get from one to the other. There is not enough focus on the canyon. This might be because Martin still does not have a clear view of the solutions - hence the School, but the canyon is getting very close and the book itself stressses the need for early action.

Where the book is strongest is identifying the wasted resources in our current world. This is not just wasted natural resources that we plunder without adding them to the balance sheet, but also people, our biggest wasted resource. On this I think he has identified the biggest failure of current society. He also identifies the madness of excessive consumerism with endless trivial consumer goods.

Where the books is weak is in the ideas about trans-humanism and our approaching Kurzweil's singularity - that we will be able to move in silico. If we do all the environmental problems go as we will never need food again! I also think he is too focussed on nuclear and biological weaponry which while a threat are nowhere near the levels of danger we faced 20 years ago. In the canyon bad things will happen, but we are unlikely to return to the total response view of the cold war. There is also too much emphasis on high civilisation - the higher arts. Florence in the time of da Vinci was not a great time to live. People were not enjoying high civilisation, they were fighting continuous wars to defend fragile democracies against tyrannical Princes. Great cultural movements do not mean good times for the citizens, which is what the future has to be about.

A mass movement ***
Whilst the book starts off interesting in relation to the globe at large, it slowly looses real grip of the most practical solutions a man can find. The book connects every situation, with global warming, thus equating that man is the cause for natures repause and changes and makes the attack visible. The book offers a wide eye view into a variety of issues that have happened for centuries and makes connections with religion beliefs in aim of prooving how much man is to blame for all the catasrophes on earth. Whilst the book title suggests, it is a vital blueprint for ensuring our future, it does not however offer practical solutions for the smaller problems. It jumps the gun, and tries to dictate the future of humans. It does give a lot of suggestions, for what we should do, whilst on the planet, but it does not provide the foundation, or the practicality of how systems should carry out these suggestions. A good read, but very sci-fi at times, to carry meaning in it's true context.

A mass movement ***

Whilst the book starts off interesting in relation to the globe at large, it slowly looses real grip of the most practical solutions a man can find. The book connects every situation, with global warming, thus equating that man is the cause for natures repause and changes and makes the attack visible. The book offers a wide eye view into a variety of issues that have happened for centuries and makes connections with religion beliefs in aim of prooving how much man is to blame for all the catasrophes on earth. Whilst the book title suggests, it is a vital blueprint for ensuring our future, it does not however offer practical solutions for the smaller problems. It jumps the gun, and tries to dictate the future of humans. It does give a lot of suggestions, for what we should do, whilst on the planet, but it does not provide the foundation, or the practicality of how systems should carry out these suggestions. A good read, but very sci-fi at times, to carry meaning in it's true context.

Great introduction to social and environmental issues *****
This book is not a step by step guide to social innovation, nor does it detail in-depth solutions to the social and environmental challenges we face this century. It is instead an holistic look at how seemingly unrelated social and environmental challenges are inextricably linked and provides a fascinating overview to a number of simple yet potentially very effective solutions. In doing so, not only will it significantly raise your personal awareness of the challenges we face, but it also leaves you feeling both inspired and hopeful. If you are looking for an informed, fascinating and inspiring introduction into the worlds of social and environmental innovation, then I'm sure that like me, you will thoroughly enjoy "The Meaning of the 21st Century".

Great introduction to social and environmental issues *****

This book is not a step by step guide to social innovation, nor does it detail in-depth solutions to the social and environmental challenges we face this century. It is instead an holistic look at how seemingly unrelated social and environmental challenges are inextricably linked and provides a fascinating overview to a number of simple yet potentially very effective solutions. In doing so, not only will it significantly raise your personal awareness of the challenges we face, but it also leaves you feeling both inspired and hopeful.

If you are looking for an informed, fascinating and inspiring introduction into the worlds of social and environmental innovation, then I'm sure that like me, you will thoroughly enjoy "The Meaning of the 21st Century".

A fascinating look at the dangers and opportunities of the 21st century *****
An utterly fascinating book... the best thing I've read in years. I've been developing a strong interest in futurology, and this book is packed full of predictions, scenarios and warnings for what lies ahead in the 21st century. Practically everything you can think of is covered here - nanotechnology, genetics, climate change, overpopulation, poverty, disease, global trade, demographics, war, terrorism, computers and the Internet, AI, the exploration of Mars, transhumanism and mind uploading. Martin writes in a clear, logical and persuasive style that is very easy to follow. This book is nearly 600 pages long, but I finished it within a couple of weeks. Some of the predictions he describes are terrifying - it's clear that we face enormous challenges in the years ahead, and there's a very real chance that civilisation won't survive beyond the 21st century. We desperately need to learn how to manage our planet, its resources, and our relationships with the world's poorest countries. One thing we can be sure about, is that we'll have to endure LOTS of changes over the next few decades. Martin is an optimist though, and far from doom-mongering, he shows the many spectacular ways in which humanity could be transformed by the emerging technologies. But only if we learn to work together, control our resources, and minimise our impact on the natural world. I would give this book 10/10, it's a real eye-opener and needs to be read by everyone... especially our politicians! To quote Sarah Greenfield, Director of the Royal Institution: "On rare occasions, a special book introduces a vital new idea into the public consciousness. This is one of those books."

A fascinating look at the dangers and opportunities of the 21st century *****

An utterly fascinating book... the best thing I've read in years.

I've been developing a strong interest in futurology, and this book is packed full of predictions, scenarios and warnings for what lies ahead in the 21st century. Practically everything you can think of is covered here - nanotechnology, genetics, climate change, overpopulation, poverty, disease, global trade, demographics, war, terrorism, computers and the Internet, AI, the exploration of Mars, transhumanism and mind uploading.

Martin writes in a clear, logical and persuasive style that is very easy to follow. This book is nearly 600 pages long, but I finished it within a couple of weeks.

Some of the predictions he describes are terrifying - it's clear that we face enormous challenges in the years ahead, and there's a very real chance that civilisation won't survive beyond the 21st century. We desperately need to learn how to manage our planet, its resources, and our relationships with the world's poorest countries.

One thing we can be sure about, is that we'll have to endure LOTS of changes over the next few decades.

Martin is an optimist though, and far from doom-mongering, he shows the many spectacular ways in which humanity could be transformed by the emerging technologies. But only if we learn to work together, control our resources, and minimise our impact on the natural world.

I would give this book 10/10, it's a real eye-opener and needs to be read by everyone... especially our politicians!

To quote Sarah Greenfield, Director of the Royal Institution: "On rare occasions, a special book introduces a vital new idea into the public consciousness. This is one of those books."

Disappointing - needs a good editor **
I really wanted to like this book, but I found it a big disappointment. Yes, its heart is in the right place: it provides plenty of reasons why our current way of life is dangerously unsustainable, and it has a pleasing open mind towards some of the more radical options for solutions (as well as ideas such as rejuvenation medicine, the Singularity, transhumanism, and life extension). I also learned something new from nearly every chapter (though there's a lot of claims that lack sufficient references.) However, there's a great deal of repetition and overlap between the chapters. The book could easily have been chopped down to half its size without losing value. Also, there's often a grand naivety in the hopes pronounced for the future. For probably the best book on analysing the challenges of the 21st century, I recommend instead "The upside of down" by Thomas Homer Dixon.

Disappointing - needs a good editor **

I really wanted to like this book, but I found it a big disappointment.

Yes, its heart is in the right place: it provides plenty of reasons why our current way of life is dangerously unsustainable, and it has a pleasing open mind towards some of the more radical options for solutions (as well as ideas such as rejuvenation medicine, the Singularity, transhumanism, and life extension). I also learned something new from nearly every chapter (though there's a lot of claims that lack sufficient references.)

However, there's a great deal of repetition and overlap between the chapters. The book could easily have been chopped down to half its size without losing value. Also, there's often a grand naivety in the hopes pronounced for the future.

For probably the best book on analysing the challenges of the 21st century, I recommend instead "The upside of down" by Thomas Homer Dixon.