The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise,Today we have greater wealth, health, opportunity, and choice than at any time in history. Yet a chorus of intellectuals and politicians laments our current condition -- as slaves to technology, coarsened by popular culture, and insecure in the face of economic change. The future, they tell us, is dangerously out of control, and unless we precisely govern the forces of change, we risk disaster. In The Future and Its Enemies, Virginia Postrel explodes the myths behind these claims. Using examples that range from medicine to fashion, she explores how progress truly occurs and demonstrates that human betterment depends not on conformity to one central vision but on creativity and decentralized, open-ended trial and error. She argues that these two opposing world-views -- "stasis" vs. "dynamism" -- are replacing "left" and "right" to define our cultural and political debate as we enter the next century. In this bold exploration of how civilizations learn, Postrel heralds a fundamental shift in the way we view politics, culture, technology, and society as we face an unknown -- and invigorating -- future. |
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User Review - Daniel.Estes - LibraryThing"This diverse, decentralized process makes technocrats uncomfortable—no one is in charge, and the results are unpredictable—but it strikes reactionaries as downright evil. They find its ambition ... Read full review
THE FUTURE AND ITS ENEMIES: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress
User Review - KirkusA provocative and pretentious defense of the free society, the free market, and even the free person. The old political appellations of "left" ‘ and "right" no longer carry much meaning; it's now more ... Read full review
Contents
The Party of Life | 27 |
The Infinite Series | 55 |
The Tree of Knowledge | 83 |
The Bonds of Life | 111 |
Creating Nature | 147 |
Fields of Play | 171 |
On the Verge | 191 |
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Common terms and phrases
allow American become better building called central choices combinations competition complex conservative create creativity criticism culture David demand dynamic dynamist economic environment evolution evolving experiments fact forces future give groups human ideas imagine important improvements individuals industry innovation institutions interest invention John keep knowledge learning less limits live look means mind nature never notes offer once organisms particular play political possible Press problem progress promise protect reactionary Reason regulations require result rules says seek sense simply single social society specific standards stasist static suggests technocratic things tion trade traditional turn understand University values verge vision writes York
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, |
| Author | Virginia Postrel |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster, 2011 |
| ISBN | 1439135320, 9781439135327 |
| Length | 288 pages |
| Subjects | › › History / Modern / 20th Century Political Science / Political Economy Social Science / Future Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |