Spaceship Earth

by Barbara Ward

Discusses the world community brought about by rapid technological advances and the necessity for world understanding, tolerance, and cooperation

Genres: Nonfiction, Cults

164 pages, Paperback

Published May 22, 1968

Reviews

[TC · Rating 3 out of 5]

The general thesis is excellent, in sum a prescient analysis of the new international order, above and beyond the old nationalisms, and the intensifying process of economic globalization, but the particular dynamics detailed in Ward's tripartite examination of the disparities in politics, wealth, and ideology, are all geared towards the cold-war preoccupations of mid-late 1960s Western powers. This would have been essential reading 40 years ago, and still has some relevance today, mostly as historical background into the economic dynamism of the inter- and postwar years and indicative of the processes of global economic and political power that has led eventually to today's current configuration.

Many of the problematics Ward highlights, including the question of national self-determination/sovereignty, the spread of regional economic blocs as steps towards the global unity, and the relevance of the UN, as opposed to the opportunities it presents, are still manifest as pressing issues of our own raging times. At the same time, the aforementioned preoccupation with Cold War Realpolitik and a rather naive (though prevalent at the time) view of the scope and role of international development assistance are definitely artifacts of the milieu of which it is part. It should get 3.5 stars, if possible.

[Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though other reviewers have said as much, it's a compelling book driven by an extremely progressive thesis, especially for the time.

It does, however, still operate largely from the perspective of someone from a very powerful country at the time, even with the idealism underlying it. I would recommend reading it, but it holds a lot of mid 1900s western humanist ideals (including focusing on unity over justice), so just be critical that it was written in a time of declining explicit colonialism, dominant capitalism, and the new-age movement, where a lot of dominant powers still didn't fully accept that their actions had and continue to have devastating consequences on non-western nations.

A lot of the ideas are still relevant today, like human rights and self-determination, but it also possesses ideas that are definitely products of that time: such as global assistance fully remedying colonialism, and that western powers no longer were trying to assert their dominance at all.

[Steven Hernacki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A useful economic and sociopoliical analysis of world politics in the 1960s. Interesting to see how the future unfolds.

[Peter Fryer]

Have not read it is a extremely rare copy I have in my inventory for sale on abe books.