Age of Discovery. Navigating the risks and rewards of our new Renaissance

Resumen del libro

The present age is a contest: between the good and bad consequences of global entanglement and human development; between forces of inclusion and exclusion; between flourishing genius and flourishing risks. Whether we succeed or flounder depends on what we all do to promote the possibilities and dampen the dangers that this contest brings. Ian Goldin and Chris Kutarna present a riveting commentary on the state of the world today, using comparisons with the original Renaissance to illustrate and explain the unique challenges, threats and opportunities facing governments, countries and individuals. From gains in health, wealth, education and technology, to crises of conflict, disease and mass migration, the similarities between today's world and that of the fifteenth century are both striking and prophetic. What must we all do achieve society's full potential? Will we repeat the glories of the Renaissance, the misery, or both? In Age of Discovery, Ian Goldin and Chris Kutarna show how we can draw courage, wisdom and inspiration from the days of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci in order to fashion our own Golden Age. Whether we're seized by Gutenberg or Zuckerberg, the discovery of the Americas or the rise of China, copperplate etchings or silicon chips, the Bonfire of the Vanities or the destructive fury of ISIS, the spread of syphilis or the Ebola pandemic, such Renaissance moments force humanity to give its best just when the stakes are at their highest.Turning the spotlight on the crises of our time, Age of Discovery shows how we can all define and create a lasting legacy that the world will still celebrate 500 years from now.