Visionaries: The 20th Century's 100 Most Inspirational Leaders

by Satish Kumar (Editor)

Visionaries brings together the lives and works of 100 great men and women who offered inspiration, hope and healing.

The 20th century was marked by wars, dictatorships and environmental destruction, yet many individuals kept alive the hope of a sane and sustainable future through their example, ideas and vision. Their influence helped to bring to end colonialism and imperialism, apartheid and authoritarian regimes, and they also helped to foster the resurgence of an ecological, holistic and spiritual vision that increasingly resonates in the world today. Visionaries includes articles

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2007

About the author

Satish Kumar is an Indian, currently living in England, who has been a Jain monk and a nuclear disarmament advocate, and is the current editor of the magazine Resurgence, founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher College international centre for ecological studies and of The Small School. His most notable accomplishment is a "peace walk" with a companion to the capitals of four of the nuclear-armed countries-- Washington, London, Paris and Moscow-- a trip of over 8,000 miles. He insists that reverence for nature should be at the heart of every political and social debate. Defending criticism that his goals are unrealistic, he has said, "Look at what realists have done for us. They have led us to war and climate change, poverty on an unimaginable scale, and wholesale ecological destruction. Half of humanity goes to bed hungry because of all the realistic leaders in the world. I tell people who call me 'unrealistic' to show me what their realism has done. Realism is an outdated, overplayed and wholly exaggerated concept."

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is superb. How could I have not known about some of these people, and what they were doing? A great tribute; a book that inspires inspiration. A must-read.