Humanitystandsatacrossroads.Thepathwechoosecouldleadeithertothecollapseofcivilization,withhorrendoussufferingtofollow,ortoanewrenaissance,wherehumankindreachesforthestars.Theoutcomehingesonourdecisionsandactions—orlackthereof—takennowandinthecomingdecades.It’sadauntingprospect.Yet,readyornot,wearethechosengeneration,andthere’snoescapefromthe’fierceurgencyofnow.’
Inthisbook,LeeWai-choi,Eddy,formerSeniorScientificOfficeroftheHongKongRoyalObservatoryandrenownedsciencewriter,beginswithacomprehensiveyetinsightfulsurveyofcivilization’sevolutionsincetheAgriculturalRevolution.Heexplainshowwehavearrivedatthisjunctureinhistorybeforeunveilingkeyfeaturesofthecontemporarysceneandhighlightingtheformidablechallengesahead.Usingthenext50and500yearsasreferencepoints,heposesrelevantquestionsandoffersboldpredictionsforhumanityundervariousscenarios.Bothpessimistsandoptimistswillfindamplefoodforthoughthere,perhapsevenenoughtolastalifetime.
AbrahamLincolnoncesaid,’Ifwecouldfirstknowwhereweare,andwhitherwearetending,wecouldthenbetterjudgewhattodo,andhowtodoit.’Thisbookservesasanindispensabletooltohelpusunderstand’whereweare,andwhitherwearetending.’Itwilltransformthewayyoulookattheworldandoffervaluableinsightsonhowweshouldshapeourfuture.
