Suchergebnisse

Considers the possibility of a third major transformation in sociocultural evolution that will bring more sustainable future societies. The agricultural & industrial revolutions are briefly described, noting the destabilization associated with the latter paradigm. A third major revolution is said to be fomenting, & it is argued that greater knowledge of the involved dynamics ought to guide policy choices along a route where the harshest effects of sociocultural change are ameliorated. The roots of sustainability are traced to the combined impact of the global population explosion, industrial expansion, & rapid rise in raw materials demand in the 1960s-1970s, which elicited a response from science. Sustainability is best viewed as a dynamic process linked to a shift from materialist & environmentally degrading industrial to postindustrial & postmaterialist societies, & the sustainability problematique is argued to be a two-sided amalgamation of environmental, economic, social, & political paradoxes related to the waning of industrial society & the rise of a sustainable way of life. In noting the difficult character of such a process, three sets of factors working to destabilize & transform the current environmentally destructive world economy are delineated: widespread recognition of growth limits, demographic change, & emerging postindustrial technologies. In addition, problems & conflicts concomitant with any shift toward sustainable society are elaborated, eg, how to define & measure progress. Sustainable transportation is briefly looked at, focusing on the unsustainable nature of the internal combustion engine & private automobile. J. Zendejas

Pirages reviews 'In Athena's Camp: Preparing for Conflict in the Information Age' edited by John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt.