Rethinking Humanity: Five Foundational Sector Disruptions, the Lifecycle of Civilizations, and the Coming Age of Freedom

by Tony Seba, James Arbib

We are on the cusp of the fastest, deepest, most consequential transformation of human civilization in history, a transformation every bit as significant as the move from foraging to cities and agriculture 10,000 years ago. During the 2020s, key technologies will converge to completely disrupt the five foundational sectors that underpin the global economy, and with them every major industry in the world today. In information, energy, food, transportation, and materials, costs will fall by a 10x or more, while production processes an order of magnitude more efficient will use 90% fewer natural resources with 10x-100x less waste. The knock-on effects for society will be as profound as the extraordinary possibilities that emerge. For the first time in history, we could overcome poverty easily. Access to all our basic needs could become a fundamental human right. But this is just one future outcome. The alternative could see our civilization collapse into a new dark age. Which path we take depends on the choices we make, starting today. The stakes could not be higher.

"Rethinking Humanity will be required reading for civic leaders, executives, and government officials."
- Guido Jouret, Chief Digital Officer at ABB

"Rethinking Humanity is seminal. Whether you run a company, a city, or a nation state, you need to understand the simple patterns that drive complexity, disruption, and change in human history. The future belongs to those societies who can both make the right technology choices and reorganize their governance and belief systems to capture the exponentially growing opportunities in front of us."
- Jose Cordeiro, Director, Millenium Project; ViceChair, Humanity Plus; Candidate for the European Parliament

"It’s not easy to blow my mind. But earlier this week, I sat down and read a research report by RethinkX. I’ve been picking up the pieces of my consciousness ever since."
- The Motley Fool

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Politics, Business, Technology, Environment, History

86 pages, Paperback

Published June 18, 2020

Reviews

[Denis Vasilev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Люблю технооптимистов, а эту книгу писали как раз они. Тем более предрекается закат надоевших уже государств, расцвет сообществ, кооперации и креативной работы. Надеюсь доживем

[Chandra Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important read for reframing the changes we are currently exploring, understanding what is likely to happen in the next 10-20 years, and how we can make it easier on all of us.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A audacious perspective of the new world based on a well founded study of the past.
It should be the nº1 book for all decision makers to read as well as the population in general.

Coming off having read some deep studies of the human history that lead to our present societal moment (sapiens, homo deus, break'em up) the first part of this story is basically a resume of our the humans in the past were put to the text and forced to change , but it changes the tone half-way trough beginning to clarify a vision of how our future can be, showing that the dream like society will not be achieved by the present ideologies(comunism/capitalism) or with band aids(e.g. forcing everyone to go vegan to enable the end of animal farming), but with investments in technologies that are already available or in the cusp of being able to.
It sometimes pictures a rose-coloured view of the future since it presumes that some factions of society will abdicate of power to easily or just go with the flow (like populists, big techs and patents), since as it states even if with all that it depicts happening it will need a revolution in our way of organizing from a extraction/expropriation culture to a creation society. But it certainly is a possible future.

[Justohidalgo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not unbiased as Tony Seba was my teacher back in 2008, at a Stanford course on product management and marketing, where he showed some of the seeds that now flourish in this book. The solid and holistic approach to what's coming next is breathtaking. And while I am no civil servant or political leader, I need to think beyond the ups and downs of our current events in order to come up with what's coming next in terms of digital and physical products and services. Understanding the potential context these assets will have to be around with is critical. And this book helps a lot on this.

[David Walley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant! Most minds work in the linear fashion. Not these men. They definitely see things in the logarithmic, and there may be hope for mankind if all this comes true. The only worry is that mankind will try to order this in corporations as we have done in the past to try to maximize profit for the few

[Bob Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relevant, deep, filled with more reading links.

Tony and James are rocking it at RethinkX and this isn’t even the MOST recent example of why. That, the most recent gem would be “Clean Disruption of Energy and Transportation: How Silicon Valley Will Make Oil, Nuclear, Natural Gas, Coal, Electric Utilities and Conventional Cars Obsolete by 2030”

[Zoltan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems to me a very utopian view based on “facts” and selected historical events in order to state that the world will go through amazing disruption in the 20’s and 30’s which will either result in a utopia or collapse

[Tom Quartier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should urgently read an understand this! Share it please.

[Teresa Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind-blowing. Argued with husband endlessly about possibilities explored here. In the end-just frightened.

[Tom Cunniff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. If the authors are even half-right about even one of these disruptions — and nothing else changes — it will have a seismic impact.

[Cassio Simões · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disruptive

A disruptive book to disrupt your mind. It takes you to a inimaginable future. It worthwhile. Once you start you can not stop reading.

[Maarten Van Gestel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes interesting points, some seem far-fetched, but I like that they make clear action points at the end

[Alexandra Coutlée · Rating 3 out of 5]

Analyse fort intéressante, mais parfois répétitif. Ce serait à lire pour nos gouvernements!

[Amir]

DNF

[Timothy R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a well-written examination of how technology will advance and change society in a language everyone will understand.

I've rated it four stars because it provides important insights into the future based on reasonable assumptions. However, it reads like a plea more than a substantiated thought piece, lacking key details to explain what Seba claims is one civilisation ending and a new technologically driven society emerging.

Worth reading for those interested in how computer technology may transform the way our society functions.