Table Of Content

Praise for Abundance “This brilliant must-read book provides the key to the coming era of abundance replacing eons of scarcity Abundance is a powerful antidote to today’s malaise and pessimism” —RAY KURZWEIL inventor, futurist and author of The singularity is Near “Abundance provides proof that the proper combination of technology, people and capital can meet any grand challenge.” —SIR RICHARD BRANSON chairman of the virgin group “This is vital book. Diamandis and Kotler give us a blinding glimpse of the innovations that are coming our way — and that they helping to create.” —MATT RIDLEY author of the Rational optimist “Our world faces multiple crises and is awash in pessimism. Abundance redirects the conversation spotlighting scientific innovators working to improve people’s loves. The result is more that a portrait of brilliant minds – It’s a reminder of the infinite possibilities for doing good when we tap into our own empathy and wisdom.” —ARIANNA HUFFINGTON CEO of Huffington Pot “This is an audacious and powerful read! Abundance shows us how today’s philanthropists, innovators, and passionate entrepreneurs are more empowared that ever before to solve humanity’s grand challenges” —JEFF SKOLL Co-founder, eBay; chairman, partioipant Produotions PROVIDING ABUNDANCE IS HUMANITY’S GRANDEST CHALLENGE- THIS BOOK IS ABOUT HOE WE RISE TO MEET IT. Since the dawn of humanity, a privileged few have lived in stark contrast to the hardscrabble majority. Conventional wisdom says this gap cannot be closed. But it is closing—fast. In Abundance, space entrepreneur turned innovation pioneer Peter H. Diamandis and award-winning science writer Steven Kotler document how progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, infinite computing, ubiquitous broadband networks, digital manufacturing, nanomaterials, synthetic biology, and many other exponentially growing technologies will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we have in the previous two hundred years. We will soon have the ability to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Abundance for all is within our grasp. Breaking down human needs by category-water, food, energy, health care, education,freedom—Diamandis and Kotler introduce us to dozens of innovators and industry captains making tremendous strides in each area: Dean Kamen’s Slingshot, a technology that can transform polluted water, salt water or even raw sewage into high-quality drinking water for less than one cent a liter; the Qualcomm Tricorder X PRIZE which promises a low-cost, handheld medical device that allows anyone to diagnose themselves better than a board certified- doctor; Dickson Despommier’s "vertical farms," which replaces traditional agriculture with a system that uses 80 percent less land, 90 percent less water, 100 percent fewer pesticides, and zero transportation costs. The authors also provide a detailed reference section filled with ninety graphs, charts and graphics offering much of the source data underpinning their conclusions. In this thrilling antidote to today’s pessimism, the authors explore how four emerging forces-exponential technologies, the DIY innovator, the Technophilanthropist, and the Rising Billion—are conspiring to solve our biggest problems. Diamandis and Kotler examine the stunning impact of these forces while establishing hard targets for change; laying out a strategic road map for governments, industry, and entrepreneurs, and giving us plenty of reason for optimism. PETER H. DIAMANDIS is the Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, the co-founder and Chairman of Singularity University and co-founder of International Space University. He is the founder of more than a dozen space and high tech companies. Diamandis has degrees in molecular biology and aerospace engineering from MIT, and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. STEVEN KOTLER is a best-selling author and award-winning journalist. His books include A Small Furry Prayer, West of ]esus and The Angle Quickest for Flight. His articles have appeared in more than sixty publications, including The New York Times Magazine, Wired, Discover, Popular Science, GQ, and Outside. He also writes a regular blog for PsychologyToday.com. MEET THE AUTHORS. WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT SimonandSchuster.com • THE SOURCE FOR READING GROUPS • AbundanceTheBook.com JACKET DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY KRISTEN HLADECEK DIAMANDIS COPYRIGHT © 2011 SIMON Free Press A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020 www.SimonandSchuster.com Copyright © 2012 by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Free Press Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. First Free Press hardcover edition February 2012 FREE PRESS and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc. The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com. Designed by Maura Fadden Rosenthal/Mspace Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Diamandis, Peter H. Abundance : the future is better than you think / Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler. — 1st ed. p. cm. 1. Technological innovations—Forecasting. 2. Technological forecasting. 3. Technology—Social aspects. I. Kotler, Steven, 1967– II. Title. T173.8.D536?2012 303.48'3—dc23 2011039926 ISBN 978-1-4516-1421-3 (print) ISBN 978-1-4516-1684-2 (eBook) PETER’S DEDICATION During the writing of this book, my wife, Kristen, gave birth to our two sons, Jet James Diamandis and Daxton Harry Diamandis. It is to her, and to them, that I dedicate this book. May Dax and Jet live in a world of true Abundance. STEVEN’S DEDICATION When I was younger it was a quintet of men who taught me the importance of dreaming big: Daniel Kamionkowski, Joshua Lauber, Steve Peppercorn, Howard Shack, and Michael Wharton. When I was older it was a trio of women who taught me how hard one has to fight to make those dreams a reality: my wife, Joy Nicholson; Dr. Kathleen Ramsey; and Dr. Patricia Wright. It’s to all of you I dedicate this book. Thank you for purchasing this Free Press eBook. Sign up for our newsletter and receive special offers, access to bonus content, and info on the latest new releases and other great eBooks from Free Press and Simon & Schuster. or visit us online to sign up at eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com Contents A Note from the Authors PART ONE: PERSPECTIVE Chapter One: Our Grandest Challenge Chapter Two: Building the Pyramid Chapter Three: Seeing the Forest Through the Trees Chapter Four: It’s Not as Bad as You Think PART TWO: EXPONENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES Chapter Five: Ray Kurzweil and the Go-Fast Button Chapter Six: The Singularity Is Nearer PART THREE: BUILDING THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID Chapter Seven: The Tools of Cooperation Chapter Eight: Water Chapter Nine: Feeding Nine Billion PART FOUR: THE FORCES OF ABUNDANCE Chapter Ten: The DIY Innovator Chapter Eleven: The Technophilanthropists Chapter Twelve: The Rising Billion PART FIVE: PEAK OF THE PYRAMID Chapter Thirteen: Energy Chapter Fourteen: Education Chapter Fifteen: Health Care Chapter Sixteen: Freedom PART SIX: STEERING FASTER Chapter Seventeen: Driving Innovation and Breakthroughs Chapter Eighteen: Risk and Failure Chapter Nineteen: Which Way Next? Afterword: Next Step—Join the Abundance Hub Reference Section Raw Data Appendix: Dangers of the Exponentials Notes Acknowledgments Index A Note from the Authors A Historical Perspective These are turbulent times. A quick glance at the headlines is enough to set anybody on edge and—with the endless media stream that has lately become our lives—it’s hard to get away from those headlines. Worse, evolution shaped the human brain to be acutely aware of all potential dangers. As will be explored in later chapters, this dire combination has a profound impact on human perception: It literally shuts off our ability to take in good news. This creates something of a challenge for us, as Abundance is a tale of good news. At its core, this book examines the hard facts, the science and engineering, the social trends and economic forces that are rapidly transforming our world. But we are not so naϊve as to think that there won’t be bumps along the way. Some of those will be big bumps: economic meltdowns, natural disasters, terrorist attacks. During these times, the concept of abundance will seem far-off, alien, even nonsensical, but a quick look at history shows that progress continues through the good times and the bad. The twentieth century, for example, witnessed both incredible advancement and unspeakable tragedy. The 1918 influenza epidemic killed fifty million people, World War II killed another sixty million. There were tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods, even plagues of locust. Despite such unrest, this period also saw infant mortality decrease by 90 percent, maternal mortality decrease by 99 percent, and, overall, human lifespan increase by more than 100 percent. In the past two decades, the United States has experienced tremendous economic upheaval. Yet today, even the poorest Americans have access to a telephone, television, and a flush toilet—three luxuries that even the wealthiest couldn’t imagine at the turn of the last century. In fact, as will soon be clear, using almost any metric currently available, quality of life has improved more in the past century than ever before. So while there are likely to be plenty of rude, heartbreaking interruptions along the way, as this book will demonstrate,