As I mentioned in a previous post, this book about the explosive rate of change in the modern world was published in 1970 yet it's topic is still current even today. Change is occurring at such a fast pace, that people are finding it difficult to adapt, hence the term "future shock". Technology is increasing this rate even more quickly. One needs only to look at the growth of the internet in the last 10 years to realize the potential of a vastly different future.
Despite the topic, I found this book to be quite stagnant. I read as much as possible, but I couldn't finish it. Chapter after chapter, the same ideas were regurgitated in different language, related to different topics - the fractured family, the pace of life, the physical dimension, the scientific trajectory and so on. The historical background of change at the beginning was interesting and part six dealing with strategies for survival was easier to relate to, but the rest was difficult to sift through.
Interestingly enough, the changes predicted in this book have occurred and continue to develop as we progress further into the 21st century. Is the life of "Star Trek" and "beam-me-up Scotty" far behind? And how will we, as a human race, deal with this?
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