This is a serious book. It's well researched, well thought out and articulates the author's thoughts clearly in easy to read fashion. The question Jared Diamond asked, " What did the people on Easter Island think as they cut down the last tree?"
resonates throughout this book, but we're not discussing an isolated island, but the future of at least the developed world and maybe mankind. Unlike many pundits and politicians, Mr Rifkin first delves deeply and broadly into underlying assumptions, historical context, and cultural issues, which while seeming maybe extraneous are the very essence from which we must fashion the future.
Businesses, organizations and civilizations fail mainly because they continue to operate on assumptions which a no longer valid...things have changed. The case is strong that we are at one of those massive inflection points in history where old assumptions are no longer holding true. With the pending sunset of the " second industrial revolution", Mr Rifkin then posits the framework for a "Third Industrial Revolution" which is as remarkably different from today's centralized carbon powered society, as is the IPhone, Amazon, internet world from the mom and pop grocery stores and wire based telephones of our parents. This is a compelling vision and is one which potentially puts mankind on a positive course for the future, taking "the world is flat" to it's logical conclusion with a highly distributed, more equitable form of capitalism, as opposed to the punitive, fine based approach we have so recently seen in evidence in Copenhagen.
One way to test proposition is to check it's sensitivity to the underlying assumptions. The vision presented still seems to remain vaild even when/if some of the assumptions presented turn out in the end to not be true. Readers may disagree with some of the wide ranging assumptions but the vision has the essence of an enduring truth/vision.
After 35 years of arguably no cohesive energy policy for the United States, this reader can only hope that politicians, educators and serious minded professionals and citizens read and consider the proposition that Mr. Rifkin has so carefully crafted.
Our kids and grandkids deserve no less. This book deserves broad readership and discussion....the clock of history is ticking.....this book is thought provoking and is worth the time, effort and serious consideration.
