Reason Enough to Hope: America and the World of the Twenty-first Century (Hardcover)

~ Philip Morrison (Author), Kosta Tsipis (Author) "It seems a kind of self-centered folly to imagine that one lives in unique times, that history has taken an unprecedented turn..." (more)
Key Phrases: transborder aggression, common security force, civilian sanctions, United States, Common Development, United Nations (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

Painting on a broad canvas, Morrison and Tsipis develop a picture of what global conditions might be in the coming decades. Their book is about "what is possible and hopeful" in human affairs. They treat the issues of war and peace, the growing human population, the need for economic development to reduce mass poverty, and the price of continued growth in its effects on the global environment. Three major perils that lie ahead, the authors say, can be mitigated by intelligent action. The first is large-scale war; the intelligent action is to build a "system of Common Security among nations," meanwhile gaining firm control over all nuclear weapons and reducing military budgets below some 2 percent of gross domestic product. The second peril is "the unmet daily needs of billions of people," for which the response is "Common Development," financed in large part by the savings in military expenditures. The third is degradation of the global environment; the response is to "move toward a better and fairer regime of frugality and efficiency" that would make it possible to "confront under global consensus the environmental problems whose advent and whose remedy must be found on still grander a scale." In sum: "The optimistic message of this book stands on a simple recognition. The fundamental parameters governing the outlook for humanity's future in terms of energy, war, water, food, and population are hopeful."

Review

"Focusing on broad trends rather than year-to-year political battles, the authors offer a hopeful case that nations can learn to cope with the next century's challenges." -- Mary Carroll, Booklist, December 15, 1998

"Painting on a broad canvas, Morrison and Tsipis develop a picture of what global conditions might be in the coming decades. Their book is about ‘what is possible and hopeful'in human affairs." -- Scientific American, "The Editors Recommend," February 1999

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; illustrated edition edition (November 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026213344X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262133449
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #3,292,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Naive? I don't think so., February 28, 2002

By	Ethan Close (Brookline, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This book is fantastic if you read it slowly and with an open mind. They are not promoting a utopia, but instead a better world. The ideas come from far above the harsh realities of day to day life, but they should (could) affect the governments and leaders of the world and voters in democratic societies. Did you know that the rate of increase of the population is slowing? Did you know that for 30 years planes circled the globe carrying nuclear bombs? Do you have any idea of the scales of expenditure related to the military or food or medicine? If you care, read this book.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, but naiive, minds, June 11, 1999

By A Customer

This is what happens when otherwise brilliant men venture into area where their ignorance outstrips their wisdom. Morrison and Tsipis are both well known and well regarded in physics and les sso in the realm of politics, and not at all in economics. Their solution for conflict and poverty assumes that every individual on the planet is, like themselves, a kind hearted, well-intentioned individual who will readily put their self interest aside for the betterment of others. Would that it were so.

But it's not, and Morrison and Tsipis' naive utopian formula is no different from a thousand other utopian prescriptions. At best, they're ineffectual, and at worst, they lead to opression and dictatorship. For a more realistic view of the typical outcome of utopian societies, read Robert Conquest's "The Great Terror".