C.D. Darlington - The evolution of man and society (1969)

 

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Evolutionary history of human societies. Covers Ancient Egypt and Persia, the development of agriculture, and the influence of religions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Herman Kahn - How Many Can Be Saved (1959)

Introduction

The general belief persists today that an all-out thermonuclear war would inevitably result in mutual annihilation, and that nothing can be done to make it otherwise. Even those who do not believe in total annihilation often do believe that the shock effect of the casualties, the immediate destruction of wealth, and the long-term deleterious effects of fallout would inevitably jeopardize the survival of civilization. A study recently carried out by the author and a number of his colleagues at RAND, and privately financed by The RAND Corporation, has reached conclusions that seriously question these beliefs.1 While a thermonuclear war would be a catastrophe-in some ways an unprecedented catastrophe-it would still be a limited catastrophe. Even more important, the limits on the magnitude of the catastrophe might be sharply dependent on what prewar measures had been taken. The study suggests that for the next ten or fifteen years, and perhaps for much longer, feasible combinations of military and nonmilitary defense measures can come pretty close to preserving a reasonable semblance of our prewar society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kurt Lewin - Frontiers in Group Dynamics: Concept, Method and Reality in Social Science; Social Equilibria and Social Change (1947)

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Published by SAGE, on behalf of The Tavistock Institute.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael A. Aquino - "Project Star Gate": $20 Million Up in Smoke (and Mirrors) (2000)

 

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Judith Rodin & Margot Brandenburg - The Power of Impact Investing: Putting Markets to Work for Profit and Global Good (2014)

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“Impact investing can be a powerful instrument of change.”
—Judith Rodin, President, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Margot Brandenburg, in the introduction

A new wave of investors is using impact investing to address some of the greatest challenges of our time—from climate change and water scarcity to lack of access to health care, education, and affordable housing—with the intention of also generating a financial return.

This couldn’t happen at a more critical time. While philanthropy continues to be a transformative force for good, global philanthropic funds, even when combined with the development or aid budgets of many national governments, add up to mere billions of dollars. Meanwhile, the cost of solving the world’s problems runs into the trillions.

In The Power of Impact Investing, Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin and Margot Brandenburg, two of the foremost experts in the field, explain what impact investing is, how it compares to philanthropy and traditional investments, where opportunities are evolving around the world, and how to get started.

By sharing moving stories of impact investors and the exciting social enterprises benefiting from these investments, Rodin and Brandenburg offer a compelling resource for anyone interested in better understanding the power of impact investing—including retail investors, high-net-worth individuals, and heads of family offices, foundations, banks, and pension funds—while also offering experienced impact investors an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and benefit from the perspectives of other investors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roberto Manzocco - Transhumanism: Engineering the Human Condition - History, Philosophy and Current Status (2019)

About this book

This book is designed to offer a comprehensive high-level introduction to transhumanism, an international political and cultural movement that aims to produce a “paradigm shift” in our ethical and political understanding of human evolution. Transhumanist thinkers want the human species to take the course of evolution into its own hands, using advanced technologies currently under development – such as robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cognitive neurosciences, and nanotechnology – to overcome our present physical and mental limitations, improve our intelligence beyond the current maximum achievable level, acquire skills that are currently the preserve of other species, abolish involuntary aging and death, and ultimately achieve a post-human level of existence. The book covers transhumanism from a historical, philosophical, and scientific viewpoint, tracing its cultural roots, discussing the main philosophical, epistemological, and ethical issues, and reviewing the state of the art in scientific research on the topics of most interest to transhumanists. The writing style is clear and accessible for the general reader, but the book will also appeal to graduate and undergraduate students.