04 - Koopmans Lecture - 16 October 2006

James Martin

The Meaning of the 21st Century

Listen [MP3 1:18:21] Slides [PDF]

Lecture Summary

Dr James Martin delivered the Koopmans lecture “The Meaning of the 21st Century” based on his latest book, The Meaning of the 21st Century: Transformation and Survival.

The lecture covered some of the extraordinary changes that will mark the twenty-first century, making our grandchildren's world almost incomprehensible from current perspectives. During this century, Dr Martin warned, humanity will have to learn how to control the avalanche of changes that have occurred since the Industrial Revolution began and that will grow exponentially for centuries to come. A new generation of young people around the planet—the Transition Generation (the “T-Generation”)—will shoulder the responsibility for the momentous changes, Dr Martin asserted, and it is thus vital to teach them the meaning of the twenty-first century.

Painting a picture of the profound contrasts that lie ahead, Dr Martin spoke of the technologies that will inevitably transform wealthy civilizations, extending human life spans and capability, while billions eke out a precarious existence in shanty-cities. Against a background of fast population expansion, environmental degradation, and extreme climate change, there will be feverish consumerism, especially in China and India, which will continue their furious growth. Religious belligerence and cultural antagonism will also be rife at a time when building atomic and biological weapons is becoming easier.

Solutions do exist, Dr Martin stressed. However, in most areas they are not being implemented because of severe political and institutional blockages. If the roadblocks to change continue, then pressure will build for discontinuous change and a twenty-first century revolution will be inevitable.

Speaker Biography

James Martin is founder and chairman emeritus of Headstrong, a global consultancy that helps leading companies worldwide create real business values from digital technologies. Known as the “guru of the information age,” he is widely recognized as an authority on the social and commercial ramifications of computers and technology. In its 25th anniversary issue, Computerworld ranked him fourth among the 25 individuals who have most influenced the world of computer science.

Martin has written more than 100 textbooks, some of which were seminal works that changed perceptions in the IT industry. In 1977, his book The Wired Society: A Challenge for Tomorrow—based on his predictions and progressive views about technology—received a Pulitzer Prize nomination. His current book, The Meaning of the 21st Century: Transformation and Survival, was published by Riverhead/Penguin in October 2006. It is currently being filmed for American Public Broadcasting.

James Martin's personal Web site

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Last updated: 03 Apr 2009