The Choice

In the closing years of the twentieth century, many scientists, politicians, economists, and journalists are pointing out the inevitable dangers of humanity's current trajectory and calling our world culture unsustainable. But most of their visions of doom are based on a single area of expertise - pollution, population, deforestation, energy depletion, or various other threats from unbridled technology. They do not reflect the big picture, which may be far less bleak than they propose. Ervin Laszlo, a long-standing member of the Club of Rome and an internationally renowned expert on global trends, sees opportunities even amid the dark news. With a background in science, economics, philosophy, and art, he ties diverse issues into a grand vision he calls the Fifth Wave - the complex interaction of trends that has led us to unprecedented "global stress." By exploring the underlying causes of the Fifth Wave, readers will gain a deeper perspective on daily headlines and a new hope for alternative directions for humanity. Dr. Laszlo describes the era in which we live as the "Grand Transition," a time when classical assumptions have collapsed. The world is much more complex and the problems that surround us more difficult to understand, let alone solve, than ever before. But, he says, if we alter our perceptions of environmental, colonial, and social issues, we can still intervene successfully to resolve crucial global crises. Dr. Laszlo gives specific recommendations for this renewed perception in the areas of education, communication, and information-gathering to help us navigate the turbulent waters of the twenty-first century. And most important, he shares signs of hope for the future: value changes in society, a green trend in politics, shifts in corporate culture, a paradigm shift in science, and the reinvigoration of spiritual life are all contributing to our ultimate evolution, not extinction. Caught between fruitless despair and seemingly naive hope, thinking