Synopses & Reviews
The New York Times bestselling "manifesto for the future that is grounded in practical solutions addressing the world's most pressing concerns: overpopulation, food, water, energy, education, health care and freedom" (The Wall Street Journal).
Since the dawn of humanity, a privileged few have lived in stark contrast to the hardscrabble majority. Conventional wisdom says this gap cannot be closed. But it is closing — fast.
In Abundance, space entrepreneur turned innovation pioneer Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler document how progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, digital manufacturing synthetic biology, and other exponentially growing technologies will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we have in the previous 200 years. We will soon have the ability to meet and exceed the basic needs of every person on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp.
Breaking down human needs by category — water, food, energy, healthcare, education, freedom — Diamandis and Kotler introduce us to innovators and industry captains making tremendous strides in each area. "Not only is Abundance a riveting page-turner... but it's a book that gives us a future worth fighting for. and even more than that, it shows us our place in that fight" (The Christian Science Monitor).
Review
and#8220;At a moment when our world faces multiple crises and is awash in pessimism, andlt;i andgt;Abundanceandlt;/iandgt; redirects the conversation, spotlighting scientific innovators working to improve people's lives around the world. The result is more than a portrait of brilliant minds - it's a reminder of the infinite possibilities for doing good when we tap into our own empathy and wisdom.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;This brilliant must-read book provides the key to the coming era of abundance replacing eons of scarcity, a powerful antidote to todayand#8217;s malaise and pessimism.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Diamandis and Kotler challenge us all to solve humanityand#8217;s grand challenges. Innovative small teams are now empowered to accomplish what only governments and large corporations could once achieve. The result is nothing less than the most transformative and thrilling period in human history.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Iand#8217;d like readers to read andlt;i andgt;Abundance, andlt;/iandgt;the Peter Diamandis book with his coauthor, because if they did that, they would see that while the headlines are really bad in the world today, the trend lines are pretty good. Extreme poverty is down. [H]ealth care is improving dramatically around the world. There are developments now which make me believe we might be able to do what we did in the 90s which is use technological developments to create more jobs than we lose. For the last few months, for the first time in literally more than a decade, 40 percent of the new jobs have been in higher wage categories. I think people should read this and get some good ideas.and#8221;
Review
"Now that human beings communicate so easily, I suspect that nothing can stop the inevitable torrent of new technologies, new ideas and new arrangements that will transform the lives of our children. Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler give us a blinding glimpse of the innovations that are coming our way and#8212; and that they are helping to create. This is a vital book."and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Matt Ridley, author of andlt;iandgt;The Rational Optimistandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
and#8220;Today, philanthropists, innovators and passionate entrepreneurs are more empowered than ever before to solve humanityand#8217;s grand challenges. andlt;iandgt;Abundance andlt;/iandgt;chronicles many of these stories and the emerging tools driving us towards an age of abundance. This is an audacious and powerful read!and#8221;and#8212;andlt;Bandgt;Jeff Skollandlt;/Bandgt;
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;Abundanceandlt;/iandgt; provides proof that the proper combination of technology, people and capital can meet any grand challenge.and#8221;and#8212;andlt;bandgt;Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Groupandlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Our future depends on optimists like Diamandis...even the most skeptical readers will come away from andlt;Iandgt;Abundanceandlt;/Iandgt; feeling less gloomy." --andlt;Iandgt;andlt;Bandgt;New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;/Iandgt;
Review
"A manifesto for the future that is grounded in practical solutions addressing the world's most pressing concerns: overpopulation, food, water, energy, education, health care and freedom. " --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Wall Street Journalandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"A breezy case for optimism... andlt;Iandgt;Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Thinkandlt;/Iandgt;...[is] a godsend for those who suffer from Armageddon fatigue." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The Economistandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
and#8220;andlt;iandgt;In Abundance: Why the Future is Better Than You Thinkandlt;/iandgt;, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler offer a vision of the future thatand#8217;s truly awesome in both the most traditional and modern understandings of the word; itand#8217;s as big as it as awe inspiring.and#8221; and#8211;andlt;bandgt;andlt;iandgt;The Futuristandlt;/iandgt;andlt;/bandgt;
Review
"Abundance is not fantasy. It is a tale, say authors Diamandis and Kotler, of and#8220;good news;and#8221; a spritely and exciting collection of reasons why, despite the ever-constant refrain that Earth is on the verge of disaster, we must stay positive." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Christian Science Monandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;itor
Review
" Enough with the dystopian fiction and Mayan end-of-the-world predictions! According to tech entrepeneur and philanthropist Peter Diamandis and science writer Steven Kotler, things are getting better, not worse. " --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;USA Todayandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"[andlt;Iandgt;Abundanceandlt;/Iandgt; is] fascinating and inspirational -- every politician should read it (but sadly that may be too much to hope for!)" --andlt;Bandgt;Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, UKandlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"Welcome to the feel good future." -andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Smithsonianandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
Review
"A nice reminder of how far weand#8217;ve come." --andlt;Bandgt;andlt;Iandgt;The New York Times Book Reviewandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;/Bandgt;
About the Author
Peter H. Diamandis is a andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestselling author, and the founder of more than fifteen high-tech companies. He is the CEO of the XPRIZE (XPrize.org), Exec. Chairman of the Singularity University (SingularityU.org), a Silicon Valley based institution backed by Google, 3D Systems and NASA. He is Co-Chairman of Planetary Resources, Inc. and the Cofounder of Human Longevity, Inc. Dr. Diamandis attended MIT, where he received his degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering, and Harvard Medical School, where he received his MD. In 2014 he was named one of andldquo;The Worldandrsquo;s 50 Greatest Leadersandrdquo; by andlt;iandgt;Fortuneandlt;/iandgt; magazine.Steven Kotler is a andlt;iandgt;New York Timesandlt;/iandgt; bestselling author, award-winning journalist, and the Cofounder and Director of Research for the Flow Genome Project (FlowGenomeProject.com). His books include andlt;iandgt;Bold, The Rise of Superman, Abundance, A Small Furry Prayer, West of Jesusandlt;/iandgt;, andandlt;iandgt; The Angle Quickest for Flightandlt;/iandgt;. His work has been translated into thirty-five languages and his articles have appeared in over seventy publications, including andlt;iandgt;The New York Times Magazineandlt;/iandgt;, andlt;iandgt;Atlantic Monthlyandlt;/iandgt;,andlt;iandgt; Wiredandlt;/iandgt;,andlt;iandgt; Forbesandlt;/iandgt;, andandlt;iandgt; Timeandlt;/iandgt;. He also writes andlt;iandgt;Far Frontiersandlt;/iandgt;, a blog about science and innovation for Forbes.com.