Internationally-renowned thinker and bestselling author (The Ingenuity Gap), Thomas Homer-Dixon, Director of the Trudeau Centre for the Study of Peace and Conflict at the University of Toronto, talked to Joseph Planta about his timely and highly readable new book, The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization (Knopf, 2006).

The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization by Thomas Homer-Dixon. (Knopf, 2006) Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Upside of Down

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

This is the Planta: On the Line program here at THECOMMENTARY.CA.

What lies ahead for civilisation? Are we on the brink of disaster? And if catastrophe is our fate, what can we learn about it?

I am joined now by the acclaimed and bestselling author, as well as internationally-renowned thinker, Thomas Homer-Dixon. He is the author of a timely and highly readable new book, The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization, $37.00, published by Knopf. The book discusses in great detail some of the stresses accumulating beneath the surface of today’s global order, whether that be the gap between the rich and the poor, high energy consumption, climate change, and economic and demographic dichotomies between societies. The author takes us from the rise and fall of the Roman Empire to September 11th, to the SARS outbreak, to the Middle East, to the slums of megacities in Latin America and Asia to vividly illustrate this. As well, he discusses the need for adapting a “prospective mind,” so as to adapt to constant surprise and instability.

Thomas Homer-Dixon is Director of the Trudeau Centre for the Study of Peace and Conflict at the University of Toronto. His previous book, The Ingenuity Gap, was a huge bestseller, and won the Governor General’s Prize. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Thomas Homer-Dixon; Good morning, Professor Homer-Dixon.

Weblinks:

The Upside of Down: http://www.theupsideofdown.com/

Thomas Homer-Dixon website: http://www.homerdixon.com/

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