Born in Hungary,
educated at the Sorbonne, taught at Universities throughout US, Europe and
Asia, Ervin Laszlo is passionate about humans using their collective
consciousness to avoid global disaster and to be able to strive for a
sustainable planet.
The book is a
compelling clarion call for us to use our individual and collective
consciousness to tip the balance in favour of breakthrough. Chaos is used deliberately in the title to
refer to the theory of chaos. That
theory suggests that systems can become chaotic just before they bi-furcate and
enter a new state of stability. The
tipping point from one state to the next can be, and often is, a tiny
perturbation and the outcome cannot readily be predicted ahead of time.
Laszlo suggests that
the Earth and human society is currently undergoing a period of chaotic
instability and uncertainty. On the one
hand this instability could (especially if we continue on a business-as-usual
path) breakdown into: devastating climatic change; air, soil and water
deterioration; high levels of poverty; infectious epidemics; an expanded scale
and scope of terrorism and organised crime; heightened levels of anxiety and
fear, leading to greater repression.
Or, instead of
breakdown, we could breakthrough to: measures that safeguard the environment;
the creation of effective food and resource distribution; greater levels of
trust and respect. In short, we could
enter a period of true development, sustainability and social justice.
Normally in a chaotic
system the outcome emerging from small fluctuations cannot be predicted. Laszlo notes, however, that we have
consciousness and the wise use of that may be the one perturbation that makes
all the difference. He contends that
“conscious members of the social system can grasp the nature of the
evolutionary processes that unfold around them and can purposefully intervene…
They can tip the system toward the evolution that is line with their hopes and
expectations.”
As a former Professor
of Philosophy, Systems Science and Futures Studies and founder of Worldshift[1],
Laszlo brings a cogent and coherent understanding of systems theory and
sustainability to this slim (it’s only about 150 pages long) yet comprehensive
volume.
If you are concerned
with where we have been, where we are and where we are going and want to know
how we got here and how we can get to a better place; then get a hold of this
book, read it and help tip the balance.
[1] WorldShift 2012 is a global social network
dedicated to sustainable transformation and conscious evolution.
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