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Global Mind Change

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Global Mind Change

The Promise of the 21st Century

Berrett-Koehler,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

The paradigm shift is leaving the station. Get on now, or get left behind.

Editorial Rating

5

Qualities

  • Bold
  • Visionary

Recommendation

From Galileo to the Wright Brothers, mankind’s most significant scientific discoveries have come from thinkers who challenged the assumptions of the day, often earning the scorn – or worse – of their contemporaries. Esteemed futurist Willis Harman reminds us of this fact early and often in the second edition of Global Mind Change, which is enhanced by a foreword by acclaimed author Hazel Henderson, but otherwise maintains the original’s insights and flaws. In terms of insight, Harman speaks eloquently about the changes in human perspective that accompanied – and, he says, ultimately caused – such radical shifts as the fall of the Roman Empire and the demise of slavery in the United States. He extends this analysis to modern scientific thought, which he identifies as a societal foundation currently in the first stages of a paradigm shift in which many concepts now viewed as “New Age” will gain acceptance. getAbstract recommends this book to any armchair futurist but urges all readers to bear in mind one caveat: For every free thinker who upended science with brilliant insight, there have been untold thousands of quacks, madmen and charlatans.

Summary

Changing the World

The power of a change of mind is far greater than any economic, military or political power, because when people change their images of reality, they automatically change the world. The belief structure of western society is changing now, in one of the most astounding cognitive shifts in history. This kind of global mind change has occurred before, during the transition from the Roman Empire to Medieval Europe, the transition from the Middle Ages to modern times, the establishment of democratic governments in England and America, and during the end of slavery.

These paradigms shifts, as such changes are called, are not easy to navigate, because people feel threatened by impending change, even changes that are clearly for the better. The idea that familiar truths might be replaced by new beliefs is particularly unsettling, so people fight back. But today, change itself has become a way of life.

Sociological and historical research shows that during revolutionary changes, social disruptions increase, including violent crime, terrorism, mental illness, religious cultism and other responses, all symptoms of an underlying anxiety about the unconscious...

About the Author

Willis Harman (1918-1997) remains widely recognized as a practical visionary. He was the president of the Institute of Noetic Sciences until his death, and for 16 years was senior social scientist at SRI International, a global futuristic think-tank. He was also emeritus professor of Engineering-Economic Systems at Stanford University, and a member of the Board of Regents of the University of California. His books include An Incomplete Guide to the Future, Changing Images of Man, Higher Creativity, Paths to Peace, New Metaphysical Foundations of Science and Biology Revisited.

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