The following notes are from chapter two of “Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think” by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler.
Interesting observation…
“Today most poverty-stricken Americans have a television, telephone, electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing. Most Africans do not.
Definitions are way too restrictive and in many cases totally bogus. The authors allocated a couple of pages to providing a “practical definition” of abundance.
“Abundance is about creating a world of possibility […]”
I’ve learned from Hans Rosling that learning about the future is easier if one is a possibilitist. This book assumes almost everything is possible.
A three tiered pyramid is presented. The bottom-level: “food, water, shelter (basic survival)“. The middle-level is “devoted to catalysts for further growth like abundant energy, ample educational opportunities, and access to ubiquitous communications and information“. The highest tier is “freedom and health“.
Sad, but true observation.
“Currently a billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion lack access to basic sanitation.”
The authors wanted readers to be aware of Friedrich Hayek’s “catallaxy: the ever-expanding possibility generated by the division of labor.”
I have a new found respect for the 1,200 watts two-burner cookstove.
A reasonable near term prediction.
“By 2015, the global market for personalized medicine is projected to reach $452 billion.”
Recall that health is in the highest tier of the pyramid.
Time to put on our possibilitist hat…
An end to most of what ails us by 2035?
It’s possible. In fact, 02035 is sooner than I would have guessed.
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