Futurists' Bookshop
Some of these titles are still available to purchase. Enquire by
email to bookshop@nevillefreeman.com.
2002 Installment II
Creating Better Futures
By James Ogilvy
How Proust Can Change Your Life
By Alain de Botton
Business Think
By Marcum, Smith, Khalsa
The Moment of Complexity
By Mark Taylor
Enterprise and Venture Capital
By Christopher Golis
One makes the difference
By Julia Butterfly Hill
 Creating
Better Futures
Scenario Planning as a Tool for a Better Tomorrow
By James Ogilvy
ISBN: 0195146115
Publisher & date: Oxford University Press, February 2002
Format: Hardcover
Price: A$65.00
You don't have to agree with everything
that Jay Ogilvy writes in his latest book to enjoy it. Indeed, from
the postmodern perspective with which he so charmingly and persuasively
engages his readers here, he would be most disappointed if you did!
Disagreement is grist to the postmodernist's mill, and few topics
can provoke as much difference of opinion as that which explores
what we should do next in this world of ours, rather than simply
what we could do. There is little sense of deliberate provocation
with the assertion that the 'history of transitions from the pre-modern
to the post-modern eras can be described as a movement from a religious
era to a political era, and from a political era to an economic
era' or, in other words, 'the real action has moved from the ballot
box to the marketplace, just as it once moved from the cathedral
to the town hall'. The sting comes in the tail when the author suggests
that by and large, with a few specific exceptions, this is a good
thing! The marketplace, he argues, has become a more democratic
way of allocating resources than the ballot box, and this worldview
has a very significant impact on the nature of the normative, and
on how people decide what constitutes a better future for all!
'The future could be better than the
present', the author posits as his opening gambit, before then proclaiming
'[t]he future should be better than the present'. This normative
turn is all about steering towards the 'ought to be' rather than
the 'might happen to be'. It is about ethics as foundational to
choice rather than just efficacy and efficiency. It's a brave author
indeed who would dare take us into this world of norm and value-based
cybernetics, and a rare one who can do it with a scholarly text
which is as seductive as it is erudite. Jay Ogilvy does both with
breathtaking gusto. Among contemporary writers, there are few who
have either the breadth of experience that this philosopher/social
researcher/corporate consultant has lived over the years, or his
wonderful talent for effective communication. To tell a compelling
story from one perspective, one discipline, is impressive enough;
to embrace an eclectic scholarship that includes psychology, cognitive
science, sociology, political theory, anthropology, literary criticism,
history and philosophy, and put them to work, as this author does,
is just awesomely impressive. As a key thrust of this book is about
scenarios, then it is essentially a story about stories - a meta-story
if you will - and that is perfectly appropriate to these postmodern,
or as the author prefers 'relational', times.
It is the relational worldview that
forms one of the three foundations of Creating Better Futures,
with ethical pluralism and scenario planning completing the trinity.
As the 13 chapters unfold the essential argument develops and matures:
we need fresh worldviews and paradigms in our search for 'the better';
we need a variety of ethical stances to help us decide that which
really does constitute better; and we need to develop normative
scenarios to allow us to explore the implications of, as well as
the strategies to achieve, our choice of 'better ways' forward.
At the heart of Oglivy's thesis is the belief that we need to subscribe
to a 'social philosophy of some' as an escape from the pernicious
dichotomy between individualism and collectivism that has so limited
debates in the past about what constitutes better and who it is
that gets to make that decision. It is this third way, in which
communities are privileged rather than individuals or entire societies,
that will provide practical means for us to figure out what constitutes
better, and how it should be sought in practice. Democracy comes
in small packages and it is to small communities that we should
turn in seeking designs for how to steer towards 'better futures'.
It is really only small communities that can effectively develop
and explore normative scenarios of the future. In the course of
developing his arguments in support of this 'social philosophy of
some', the author also provides relief from the tensions of antimonies
such as those between positivism and romanticism. (As a self-confessed,
if erstwhile Hegelian, this is not all surprising from him, come
to think of it.)
Lest readers believe that this all
sounds too philosophical and abstract for words, then let them be
reminded that the author seeks a synthesis between theory and practice.
Indeed, in addition to clearly illustrating the power of the old
maxim that nothing is more practical than a good theory, he closes
the book with an extensive practical exploration of scenario planning
in action.
In sum, this is not an easy read in
the sense that readers can just lay back and passively enjoy a simple
narrative as it washes over them. Rather, it demands an active participation
in a critical discourse initiated by the writer. The reader is expected
to get involved in the conversation, emotionally, with passion,
as well as intellectually, with thought. True to the spirit of post-modernity,
author, reader, and text eventually become all messed up in a veritable
mélange with each other. That said, it is the author's stated intention,
as a scholar-practitioner himself, to 'show rather than say'
the points he wants to make as he seeks to help us 'connect some
fairly familiar dots in some relatively unfamiliar ways'. It is
an invitation to an innovative dance of discovery, from a consummate
quick-stepper!
True to the Platonic spirit so well
invoked by Ogilvy within his delightful manuscript, this reviewer
can state without equivocation, that he just loves this book. (Review:
Richard Bawden.) BUY
 How
Proust Can Change Your Life
By Alain de Botton
ISBN: 330354914
Publisher & date: Picador 1997
Format: Paperback
Price: A$21.95
This extraordinary book provides the
logic and insight to get more out of life - an incisive look at
the human condition and an inadvertent self-help guide.
Alain de Botton's 'The Consolations
of Philosophy' has recently been made into a mini series by Channel
4, UK. He's a wry guy; and a wonderfully eloquent social philosopher
with a simple premise - death is just around the corner. Of the
human condition he opens:
There are few things humans are more dedicated to than unhappiness.
Had we been placed on this earth by a malign creator for the exclusive
purpose of suffering, we would have good reason to congratulate
ourselves on our enthusiastic response to the task. Reasons to
be inconsolable abound: the frailty of our bodies, the fickleness
of love, the insincerities of social life, the compromises of
friendship, the deadening effects of habit. In the face of such
persistent ills, we might naturally expect that no event would
be awaited with greater anticipation than the moment of our own
extinction.
Of course, de Botton takes his lead
from the infamous French author come philosopher, Marcel Proust,
'a man who had spent (the last) fourteen years lying in narrow bed…
writing an unusually long novel without an adequate bedside lamp'.
But don't despair, this book is a
buzz. In a profound sense it is a DIY guide to a better life. Audaciously
titled chapters like 'How to be a good friend', 'How to be happy
in love' and (get this one) 'How to put books down' are peppered
with informative sketches, photos and creative layouts. Truly great!
(Review: Andrew Campion) BUY
 Business
Think
Rules for Getting It Right - Now and No Matter What!
By Dave Marcum, Steve Smith, Mahan Khalsa
ISBN: 1929494661
Publisher & date: Simon & Schuster, March 2002
Format: Hardcover
Price: A$44.95
BusinessThink presents a new
method for business leaders and managers that redefines their thinking
and arms readers to make the right decision every time.
Business Think is being backed
by the biggest names in business. In his Foreword, Stephen R. Covey
says:
BusinessThink introduces a powerful, yet simple, framework
for achieving breakthrough results... BusinessThink breaks
the old ‘business as usual’ rules, which we’ve too often blindly
followed or lazily accepted. Then, through a sequential process
of disciplined thinking, this new framework teaches us how to
get it right - no excuses. Never before have I seen a framework
that so disciplines our mindset and heart to balance logic and
pragmatism with intuition and idealism.
Tom Peters reckons BusinessThink
is a 'gem', suggesting:
Its ‘common sense’ is in fact very uncommon sense. Follow the
Eight Rules the authors derived from their research and consulting,
and you’ll dramatically up the odds of success–– and the joy that
flows from work well done. BUY
 The
Moment of Complexity
Emerging Network Culture
By Mark Taylor
ISBN: 0226791173
Publisher & date: University of Chicago Press, September 2001
Format: Hardcover
Price: A$75.30
Mark Taylor is a Professor of Humanities
at Williams College US and a pioneer of the global classroom via
teleconferencing technology. In this book, Taylor traces an entirely
new way to view the evolution of our culture, detailing how information
theory and the scientific concept of complexity can be used to understand
recent developments in the arts and humanities. Complexity theory
explains how networks emerge and function.
With startling development of new
information technologies, we now live in a moment of unprecedented
complexity, an era in which change occurs faster than our ability
to comprehend it. With The Moment of Complexity, Taylor offers
a timely map for this unfamiliar terrain opening in our midst, unfolding
an original philosophy through a remarkable synthesis of science
and culture. According to Taylor, complexity is not just a breakthrough
scientific concept, but the defining quality of the post-Cold War
era. The flux of digital currents swirling around us, he argues,
has created a new network culture with its own distinctive logic
and dynamic.
Drawing on resources from information
theory and evolutionary biology, Taylor explains the operation of
complex adaptive systems in social and cultural processes and captures
a whole new zeitgeist in the making. To appreciate the significance
of our emerging network culture, he claims, we need not only to
understand contemporary scientific and technological transformations,
but also to explore the subtle influences of art, architecture,
philosophy, religion, and higher education.
In
the
second edition of the GBNA Soundletter,
Jay Ogilvy discusses technology as a transformative tool. In referencing
distance learning and the value of technology that reduces distance,
Jay brings to light the work of Mark Taylor and this, his latest
book. BUY
 Enterprise
and Venture Capital
By Christopher Golis
ISBN: 1864488344
Publisher & date: Allen & Unwin, February 1999
Format: Paperback
Price: A$45.00
Enterprise and Venture Capital
is a bestselling guide for people looking to build new businesses
around bright ideas, and investors awake to the opportunities offered
by new business building. This is the revised and updated fourth
edition of the book that is widely regarded as the handbook of the
Australian venture capital industry.
The book sets out in a straightforward
and practical way how to put venture capital to work. It discusses
the fundamentals of business building, the sources of venture capital
available and the steps involved in obtaining the appropriate financing,
including the preparation of a business plan, the choice of a venture
capitalist and negotiations with investors. The book concludes with
advice to investors on how to invest venture capital wisely and
how to manage a venture capital portfolio.
Enterprise and Venture Capital
is based on the personal experience of one of Australian's leading
venture capital managers and the analysis of over 4000 business
plans. Christopher
Golis is interviewed in the third edition of the GBNA Soundletter
where he looks at the venture
capital business
in Australia, claiming there’s plenty of money around, offering
a few tips on getting funded.
This book is for people running their
own businesses or planning new enterprises, executives in innovative
companies, investors looking for new productive business opportunities
and students of business, commerce and finance. BUY
 One
Makes the Difference
By Julia Butterfly Hill
ISBN: 0062517562
Publisher & date: Harper San Francisco, April 2002
Format: Paperback
Price: A$37.00 (ships in 3 weeks)
Do we love this woman or what? Her
courage and commitment transcends the environment debate offering
inspiration for all.
After her two year tree sit, Julia
Butterfly Hill has ceaslessly continued her efforts to promote sustainability
and ecologically-minded ways to save the old-growth redwoods she
acted so valiantly to protect. Here she answers the question she
hears so often from her fans and supporters: What can I do to help?
One Makes the Difference is
a hands-on guide full of advice on how to promote change and improve
the health of the planet. This book is accessible to both adults
and young people who look to Julia as an example of how one person
can change the world.
One Makes the Difference is
printed on paper made from 100% post-consumer recycled fibers and
is processed in a totally chlorine free process using soy-based
ink. A percentage of the author's proceeds are being donated to
the causes that are highlighted in this book.
Packed with information, inspirational
stories, and common-sense actions, One Makes the Difference
provides easy-to-follow guidance for everyone who wants to help
save their environment. BUY
Futurists'
Bookshop
|
