An Inquiry Into the Human Prospect: Looked at Again for the 1990s

by Robert L. Heilbroner

Book Overview

In this third edition of a book that has become a classic, Professor Heilbroner leaves the question in place on the first page, believing some twenty years later that that interrogative sounds the themes of the 1990s as well. The main components of the global predicament he described in the first edition are still with us today: runaway populations, obliterative weaponry, and a closing environmental vise.

Writing now, in the aftermath of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393961850
• ISBN13: 9780393961850
• Release Date: August 1991
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Questions that we all ignore

This book was written in the 1970's, so it isn't surprising that it has a quality of despair due to the energy crisis, the political effects of the Vietnam war and the social turmoil of the time. The 20 year later updates that the author has added after each chapter greatly add value to his original text, so be sure "updated for the 90's" is the subtitle of the edition you get. In contrast to another reviewer, I'd say the final chapter stands far above the specifics of the rest and would be worth reading now or at any time in the future. The question is: can humanity survive the coming decades when pressures will come to bear that cannot be avoided? This is an extremely important question to those who live under capitalism (more of us all the time) which admits to no end to growth. The environment will increasingly resist efforts to grow the wealth of humanity as a whole as it is already challenged by the growth in the wealth of individuals (how many cars can be packed on a road when so many want bigger vehicles?) Societies of those accustomed to expecting and demanding more, knowing no limitation on freedom of action other than the need to accumulate money to buy things, will not receive limitations gladly. What would it mean to face the fact that at some point a generation must realize that, no, their children cannot live better than they do? Will one kind of social or political system be better suited to the future than others? Heilbroner's fears are that we will put current desires and comforts ahead of any concern for the future of our kind and will live life to the max until we hit a wall. He cites none other than Adam Smith writing of how self interest puts the slightest threat to one's own well-being far beyond horrors to great numbers of others on the other side of the world. At what point will those without stop tolerating a lopsided distribution of wealth? When limitations start to bite, will democracy hold up or will a "strong leader" be called forth to take control over a multitude bickering for pieces of the pie? to say that growth can continue endlessly is to ignore this and that's exactly what world leaders are doing in the 21st century. Technology, in this book, is seen for the undoubted good that it has done. But it also steps up the level of consumption and presents new problems that did not present themselves at lower levels of technology. For example, agricultural output has increased due to artificial fertilizer, but now we have the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico. A new car pollutes far less due to tech advances but there are so many more cars. In this way, technology can never be our savior because it simply changes the nature of the threats we face. Only if we were to use a tech advance to work its magic without our lurching to even greater levels and variety of consumption would it truly be a savior. Can we ever set a limit on ourselves voluntarily before we lose our freedom to choose to do so? Technology has always

An Inquiry Into the Human Prospect (Original version)

This book provides an intriquing critical analysis of the future as seen from the height of the Cold War era. Though the focus of the book does not rest primarily on the Cold War and other conflicts characteristic of the this time, it is obvious through the content of the book that much of what he discusses is more relevant to the social situations of that time, than those of today. Even as this is the fact, the book is still worth the time it takes to read it (it is relatively short, -200 pages) due to its valid insights and arguments that can be seen to have manifested in today's society. If you are interested in the societal growth and/or demise of our world, this would be an appropriate book to get your hands on.