The Future and Its Enemies: The Growing Conflict Over Creativity, Enterprise, and Progress

I consider myself an optimist and insightful person, but somehow managed to miss many of Postrel's insights. She gives me even more hope that the future is going to be more wonderful than I previously thought. She does keep that hope in check, though, by talking about the enemies of the future- primarily protectionists and those that see free trade as a threat, instead of the blessing that it is. She thoroughly destroys... Read Full Review

Postrel forces you to think explicitly about the future. I have 10 children. Thus I have more invested in the future than most people. The future my children and grandchildren inherit and create be mostly shaped by people with dynamist views. After all, it is the dynamists who created civilization. To be sure, history is full of examples where the forces of stasis won over the dynamists, sometimes for centuries. However,... Read Full Review

I was at Printer's Inc bookstore in Mountain View, CA with a friend last month and he foisted this on me, assuring me that it would be an eye-opening sort of experience. I read the book from cover to cover in a couple days and I don't think my outlook on technology and the West Coast was changed as significantly as he claims his was, but I've got to admit that it was an excellent read and gave me much to ponder.Virginia Postrel... Read Full Review

I was familiar with Virginia Postrel's work in Reason magazine before I bought this book, so I was already looking forward to it with great expectations. However, Ms. Postrel actually managed to exceed them! So often even the best journalists cannot make the transition to writing full-length texts, but Ms. Postrel has done so with ease. Some reviewers have complained that the book lacks depth and it is true that Ms. Postrel... Read Full Review

...not even about Liberal vs. Conservative. Everyone seems to want change. Postrel make the convincing argument that the battle is really between those who demand central control and a pre-planned future vs. those who are willing to let the future evolve in a many time unexpected way. Essentially it's an age old debate - almighty wisdom vs. evolution.... It's authority (whether it be religion or the state) versus freedom... Read Full Review