Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World [Hardcover]

Ervin Laszlo (Author, Preface), Kay Mikel (Editor), Arthur C. Clarke (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2001

A "macroshift" is a transformation of practically all aspects of life, from individual lifestyles to the global economy. Expert Ervin Laszlo argues that the macroshift now upon the planet is unprecedented in scope, and, reverberating as it does at every level, warrants serious attention. This book describes the dynamics of today's macroshift, cautioning that the values and behaviors associated with it have the power to either break through or break down world order. Readers learn about the essential dangers and opportunities they face and how they can begin to make informed, responsible choices.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ervin Laszlo, a pioneer in complex systems philosophy and general evolution theory who has written or cowritten 36 books, believes we are in the midst of a massive worldwide transformation that will dramatically alter everything from lifestyle to economy. Such total upheaval has occurred only a few times before, he says, and in Macroshift he explains what this might mean and how we might manage its impact.

The gist, according to Laszlo, is that technology and globalization have unbalanced social structures, upended values and priorities, sparked resource exploitation, and "downgraded the livability" of our planet. The result is an unsustainable situation that could trigger political conflict, financial vulnerability, and deteriorating environmental problems during the coming decade unless "a new way of thinking" takes hold. "If we are not to join the myriad species that had once populated the Earth but became extinct," he predicts, "we will have to create a civilization that is more adapted to the conditions in which we find ourselves."

He then offers ideas to do so, including a shift from "competition to reconciliation and partnership" and development of "more responsible and humane community projects" around the world. The proposals are not for everyone, but if Laszlo is correct, this book offers serious food for thought that we all would be wise to ponder. --Howard Rothman

From the Publisher

"In Macroshift Ervin Lazlo makes a vital point: the future is not to be forecast, but created. What we do today will decide the shape of things tomorrow. Especially the way we perceive the challenges that await us, and the vision we develop for coping with them. His book furnishes essential guidelines for creating a positive scenario for our common future: for the new thinking and acting that this calls for." —From The Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 218 pages
• Publisher: Berrett - Koehler; 1st edition (September 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576751635
• ISBN-13: 978-1576751633
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,474,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ervin Laszlo, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, is editor of the international periodical World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution and Chancellor-Designate of the newly formed GlobalShift University. He is the founder and president of the international think tanks the Club of Budapest and the General Evolution Research Group and the author of 83 books translated into 21 languages. He lives in Italy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Macroshift:Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable Wo, October 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World (Hardcover)

Macroshift is a book which I recommend to anyone who feels they can change the world and make a difference.And this book is for everyone. At times it is hard reading, but it is worth it.
What intriqued me most was the prediction that author Ervin Laszlo had that we would enter a period of chaos, followed by a clear choice of two different scenarios for the people of Planet Earth.
Dr. Laszlo predicted the chaos would come around 2005, but it came earlier on September 11, 2001, but he does not leave you without a solution. Step by step he takes you through the breakdown or the breakthrough scenario and the choice is clearly ours. We can only change the world to the degree that we are willing to change ourselves.
Dr. Laszlo not only offers his well-researched personal thoughts and opinion, but provides twelve additional 3-4 page commentaries by some of the best thinkers today. Riane Eisler, Thomas Berry, Robert Muller, Gary Zukav and eight more members of the Club of Budapest share their thoughts on our global emergency.I really liked reading what others had to say. Dr. Laszlo mentions that he founded the Club of Budapest to bring global consciousness to every human on Earth.
No short order by this dreamer for a better world..but Macroshift helped me see the necessity of a shift in my thinking.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Projects and details two possible futures, April 12, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World (Hardcover)

Macroshift: Navigating The Transformation To A Sustainable World by Ervin Laszlo (Science Director, International Peace University, Berlin, Germany) is a powerful and revealing look at the rapid pace of globalization and the profound shifts it has cause in the world economy and ecology. Laszlo projects and details two possible futures - the "Breakdown", where overly polarized wealth causes the supreme stratification of society and the world culture drifts toward anarchy, and the "Breakthrough", where humanity transforms itself into a new era of world prosperity. Macroshift is a ground breaking, fascinating, challenging examination of the past, present, and future of a rapidly modernizing world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We need a "fundamental revolution of consciousness"., February 23, 2005

By 

Bill Godfrey (Mt Stuart, TAS Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Macroshift: Navigating the Transformation to a Sustainable World (Hardcover)

Ervin Laszlo has a formidable international reputation as a systems philosopher and the founder of general evolution theory. He has written around 70 books covering a wide variety of fields. His style is lucid, direct and very readable. This book is a brilliant addition to dialogue on an issue that desperately needs clear thinking and the ability to challenge ossified mindsets in a way that is constructive rather than merely strident. It is thoughtful, sober and constructive, in contrast to so many books in this genre that are slick and sensationalist.

Laszlo makes a carefully argued case that the world is in a rapid and fundamental transition, which will become critical during the years 2001 to 2010. Whether the outcome is 'breakthrough' or 'breakdown' depends primarily on building a 'fundamental revolution of consciousness' among a critical mass of people. The three parts of the book describe

the concept of a 'macroshift', historical examples of previous macroshifts and the choices before us
the 'new imperatives' and the logic underlying them; and
the way ahead.