Acceleration: The Forces Driving Human Progress
Acceleration: The Forces Driving Human Progress by Ronald Havelock. Prometheus. 2011. 318 pages. $18.48.
Humanity has much to look forward to this century, argues technology consultant Ronald Havelock in Acceleration. He describes a sweeping transformation of human life by 2050: longer life spans, growing knowledge platforms, swelling ranks of scientists and engineers, exponentially more powerful computers, and the diffusion of a more inclusive human ethics.
Havelock identifies a powerful “Forward Function”—movement of societal and technological progress—that he says has been active throughout human history. Progress has been especially great over the last 60 years due to an array of new forces: expanded learning, increased information storage capacity, the evolution of social networking, a larger division of labor in the service of problem solving, more sophisticated problem-solving processes, and immensely enhanced power to distribute knowledge via media.
For the first time in human history, the individual groups of researchers, producers, distributors, and consumers are all continuously connected. These ties of communication will bring all more closely into alignment and enable them to work together to make more rapid and consistent innovation.
Pessimism about the future still runs deep, Havelock notes. Vast numbers of people believe that the future will be grim. Havelock encourages a more positive outlook: Pessimism not only lowers quality of life, but it also slows the Forward Function. He remains confident that the Forward Function will stay on course for as long as there is a human species and will continue to improve human life.
Acceleration is an upbeat philosophical perspective on humanity’s past, present, and future. Audiences from all walks of life will find it thought-provoking and inspirational.
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