New revolutions for a small planet : a user's guide to how the global shift in humanity and nature will transform our minds and lives

According to sociologist Kingsley L. Dennis, our current economic woes are part of a larger shift in the way our global systems function. In his recent book, New Revolutions for a Small Planet (Watkins, November 2012), Dennis provides a strong dose of hope for young adults everywhere—especially those hit hardest by the current economic crisis. According to Dennis, we are witnessing the last throes of the industrial revolution model and mindset. "The signs are all around us," he says, pointing to the rise of decentralized communications, the growth of NGOs and volunteerism, and rising social unrest against dysfunctional political systems. "These are all harbingers of the next phase of our socio-cultural evolution." New Revolutions looks at what young people can expect in the years ahead: The birth of the ‘empathic mind,’ which is heralded by greater global interconnections, networked communication, and a participatory culture; A burgeoning sense of a dynamic, enchanting cosmos; and the increased urge to find personal meaning and fulfillment in life; Greater awareness of how new innovations will lead to creative new ways of thinking that will solve the world’s current problems; New systems and models that will emerge to eventually make the old models obsolete. In his conclusion, Dennis writes that "Revolutions in communications and energy technology go together with our shifting forms of consciousness," and that "life upon this planet is about to undergo a period of transition that will test our capacity to re-adapt and re-emerge on an unprecedented scale." According to sociologist Kingsley L. Dennis, our current economic woes are part of a larger shift in the way our global systems function. In his recent book, New Revolutions for a Small Planet (Watkins, November 2012), Dennis provides a strong dose of hope for young adults everywhere—especially those hit hardest by the current economic crisis. According to Dennis, we are witnessing the last throes of the industrial revolution model and mindset. "The signs are all around us," he says, pointing to the rise of decentralized communications, the growth of NGOs and volunteerism, and rising social unrest against dysfunctional political systems. "These are all harbingers of the next phase of our socio-cultural evolution." New Revolutions looks at what young people can expect in the years ahead: The birth of the 'empathic mind,' which is heralded by greater global interconnections, networked communication, and a participatory culture; A burgeoning sense of a dynamic, enchanting... New Revolutions for a Small Planet Humanity is in the midst of great transformation. Our world is undergoing three types of revolution, all co-dependent: physical, psychic and cosmological. The media report dramatic changes due to climatic disruption: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions. We are also witnessing a surge in popular protest, as decades of corrupt or inefficient social systems face their nemesis. Yet within this outward turmoil more subtle shifts are occurring, such as the transition of the 'modern' mind from the industrial-globalisation model towards a life-sustaining, ecological-cosmological w Cover; Title; Contents; Dedication & Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I: Our Critical Impasse; 1. The Birth of the Modern Mind; 2. A Technological State of Mind; 3. Rites of Passage: Our Collective Near-Death Experience?; Part II: Passing Through the Underworld; 4. The Dark Night of the Soul: The Death Throes of the Old; 5. Caught in Plato's Cave: The Final Trick on the Old Mind; 6. End of an Era: A New Cycle in Gestation; Part III: Emergence; 7. Birthing the Empathic Mind: A Revolution Towards Critical Mass; 8. A Creative Cosmos: Re-Aligning with a Living Universe 9. Field of Dreams: Participating in a New Mindful RealityPart IV: Moving Forwards; 10. Critical Thresholds: An Emerging New Worldview; 11. The Way Ahead: Reflections on the Coming Years; Afterword; Notes; Copyright A brilliant forecast of our global future, predicting what will happen to our social structures, to our resources, to our infrastructures - but also to our minds and hearts - in the years to come