Knowledge-Value Revolution: Or, a History of the Future [Paperback]

Taichi Sakaiya (Author), William Marsh (Translator), George Fields (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992

The provocative Japanese bestseller prophesying a new economic and social value system for the coming millennium. Sakaiya believes that a knowledge-value revolution will unfold as each advanced national faced the flexibility to cope with an utter transformation of its moral standards.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Soar with Sakaiya on a dizzying journey with this prophetic view of the future. His latest work (he has written 30 books) has already sold over 500,000 copies in Japan and should be successful in this English edition. Sakaiya easily transcends other works in this genre, such as Alvin Toffler's The Third Wave ( LJ 4/1/80) or Daniel Bell's The Coming of Post-Industrial Society ( LJ 7/73), as he describes a future knowledge-value society. Knowledge-value is "the price of and the value created by wisdom, and the worth, or price a society gives to that wisdom." Massive changes will characterize this brave new world, and Sakaiya describes the three main "disrupters" as technological advances, population shifts, and dwindling resources. His review of history and broad-brushed approach without footnotes may frustrate some. This is sure to be in demand by CEOs and futurist thinkers and is strongly recommended for most libraries.
- Dale Farris, Groves, Tex.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Millennial murk that, under the title Chika Kakumei, was a 1985 best-seller in Japan. A former official at his homeland's redoubtable Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Sakaiya prophesies a brave new postindustrial world in which leisure time and wisdom abound but material as well as human resources are in short supply. In the Arcadian environment he envisions, the mass-produced manufactures that underpin modern consumer societies will yield to goods that somehow combine utility with the equivalent of intelligence and distinctively personal appeal. Unfortunately, the author is decidedly vague as to what constitutes a so-called knowledge-value product, making it almost impossible to gain more than an impression of what the near- and longer-term future might hold--if his predictions come true. Paradoxically, perhaps, Sakaiya's projections are based on notably specific conclusions drawn from selective surveys of Middle Eastern, Oriental, and Western civilizations. The author espouses cyclical theory to the extent that he dwells on instances from the past illustrating how conspicuous consumption gave way to thrift, and materialism to spiritual values. In like vein, Sakaiya makes a persuasive case for the proposition that art and fashion are harbingers of marketplace trends. Of particular interest to US readers who bear with the author's discontinuous critique is his conviction that America's open society is better equipped than that of conformist Japan to capitalize on New Age economics. Be that as it may, Sakaiya's musings are too mystical and mystifying to provide a decent return on any time invested trying to make sense of them. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 379 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (JPN) (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770017022
• ISBN-13: 978-4770017024
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #691,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deep and influential work, August 15, 1997

By 

J. M. Raimondo (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Knowledge-Value Revolution, Or, a History of the Future (Hardcover)

This book continues to influence my thinking about society more than any other I've read in the last ten years. Sakaiya's concept of "social subjectivity" as being one of the driving forces in societal evolatuion has provided a frame for thinking about why people behave the way they do, and has lao provided me witha potent pltfrom for fdeveloping my own brand of paradigmatic thinking. This is not an easy read. The first third of the book is an intricately detailed primer on Asian culture history. Sakiya uses this deep histiry to set up the epochal trends that he sees. To a Westerner not schooled in Asian history, it was a tough read because Sakaiya assumed familiarity with some of the historical figures and events that I didn't possess. Yet for me this history opened a lot of avenues in terms of seeing history unfold over a MUCH longer timeframe than the average Amerrcna is accustmoed to or comfortable with. Once Sakiya gets into the present and points to the future, however, the book fairly crackles with unique ideas about the types of fundamental processes and defintions that constitute a "knowledge value society". The core value or operator is nuance. The ability to create nuance, in fasbhion, music, art, or even terrminology, is the source of value in a knwoledge value society. The tools for aiding ion te creation of nuance, and the networks for conducinting nuance are likewise the core utilities in this kind of society.