Powershift: Knowledge, Wealth, and Violence at the Edge of the 21st Century

Toffler is the man who gave the world ' future shock'. He is one of the principal popularizers in helping the broader public understand the social implications of scientific and technological changes. The pace is too fast, taught Toffler, for our bodies and minds to really keep up. Having shocked the world with 'Future Shock' and tried to revolutionize our thinking with 'The Third Wave' Toffler here again makes an effort at coining an Age-Defining- Concept. However here as with 'The Third Wave' a whole bookful of intelligent insights are not enough to make a concept strike home. For all of us Toffler will be in the years to come , 'Mr. Future- Shock' and nothing else. As for the Power shifts, I would simply point out Reality usually defies our predictions for it. Toffler's book did not have the 'Internet' it did not have the rise of Radical Fundamelist Islam. It did not have suicide bombers and a huge China and a growing India standing greedily at the Middle East petrol pump. Even the greatest prophet mises a lot.

I was fortunate enough to have been given this book to read almost 15 years ago. I was unfortunate enough not to have taken full advantage of the information inside it. I basically predicted Walmart's advance using the lowly Barcode, and the current problems that we are experiencing in the middle east due to fundamentalism - not moslem fundamentalism or christian fundamentalism, fundamentalism as a result of our fear of the inevitable pace of change as it increases evermore. The book is still relevant and I find my self quoting it and Mr. Toffler in discussions with friends and family on world affairs.

Alvin augments our vocabulary with terms like "info-warrior", "eco-spasm", "super-symbolic economy" and "powershift." He examines the relationship between violence, wealth, and knowledge and concludes that an entirely new system of wealth creation is emerging, as well as entirely new approach to information dissemination that places most of our command and control, communications, computing, and intelligence (C4I) investment in the dump heap with the Edsels of the past. He anticipates both the emergence of information wars at all levels, and the demise of bureaucracy. He cautions us about the emerging power of the "Global Gladiators"-religions, corporations, and terrorists (nice little mix) and concludes that in order for nations to maintain their strategic edge, an effective intelligence apparatus will be a necessity and will "boom" in the 21st Century, with the privatization of intelligence being its most prominent break from the past.

Power shift is a fantastic read, if you're trying to make sense of the new world that is slowly (or quickly) beginning to form. It brings to the forefront all the jumbled thoughts and threads that do not seem to make sense, enabling you to see the emerging patterns. It's sometimes scary, but not without hope. As good a read as future shock and The third wave, if not more relevant today.

May be we got adopted to Future Shock. We understood the Third Wave logic to avoid linear questions and expect linear answers. This is a part of trilogy beginning with Future Shock and Third Wave. It addresses some very specific trends at micro level; at the personal level; of Power shifting towards us and slipping away from us; in ways we can only hope to understand. How the composition of power changes and what are the implications for us? Future Shock addresses the dilemma of an individual caught in a vortex of rapid and accelerating change. Third Wave places the individual in a historical perspective. This book addresses questions of survival in an era where third wave is no longer a distant future.