Book Review - Abundance - the Future is Better Than You Think by Dr. Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler

A Book Review by George Mentz JD MBA

I recently read this book, Abundance by Diamandis and Kotler, and I was moved by the futuristic and "outside of the box" analysis contained in the book. From health care, education, food, robotics to technological abilities, the book is packed with ideas. The book deals with much of the new technologies that exist and others that are being explored.

The nature of the book reminds me of Paul Zane Pilzer's famous book, "God Wants You to Be Rich". In Pilzer's book, discusses how economic scarcity can be a legal fiction because substitutes are created or invented when given enough incentives and freedom. In "Abundance", they also divulge that many new technologies help mitigate challenges related to health, education, and food. Moreover, Abundance discusses how small teams, prizes, and contest-related-incentives can quickly provide solutions to some of the world's greatest problems. Again, Pilzer, who is an economist, discusses that scarcity is relative, and there is actually an unlimited supply of creativity, ideas, and solutions given time and competition.

If you look at inflation over the last 30 years, there are many items that have stabilized in cost where items are actually cheaper today than they were in 1982. One example would be shoes and clothing related items which are mass produced worldwide. Naturally, over the last 30 years, 4 key areas continue to increase in cost: Education, Health Care, Energy, and Government. However, the book, Abundance, seems to indicate that expenses for many of these can be either contained or greatly reduced. In emerging markets, it is amazing that newer technologies may be embraced more quickly that in mature markets due to less required change in existing structure. As an example, remember all of the institutions that spent millions wiring their campuses or buildings and those that did not install hard wire were able to use wireless shortly thereafter and save millions.

The book is loaded with references and citations to back up the arguments and ideas. One part of the book that is concerning is how technology is constantly moving further into the web or the cloud. Thus, hacking, cybercrime, security, financial crimes, governmental secrets, trade secrets, and even drone/robot hijacking become more and more of an security issue going forward.

Overall, I loved the book. It was refreshing because this a scientific manuscript showing that the world condition is dynamic, innovative, and improving on many levels. Some companies will lose such as Kodak EKDKQ , and others will prevail such as Apple AAPL , UPS UPS , and Verizon VZ.

Additionally, the book proves that wealth is not controlled but created. Twenty years ago, the internet was in its infancy where people created something from nothing. Today the web is allowing collaboration, social transformation, and cultural exchange in ways that were never expected. Most people now has access to a handheld phone, pad, laptop, or desktop for about $300 dollars where this type of computing power may have cost 10 thousand dollars only a decade ago.

Abundance is not the same old book. It is game-changing research that will force you to THINK, ADAPT, CREATE, and even allow you and your teams to synthesize technological concepts of today's world.

References
Diamandis Website http://www.diamandis.com/abundance/
Pilzer Website http://www.paulzanepilzer.com/

Lawyer and Counselor George Mentz, JD, MBA, CILS, CWM is a world recognized management consulting commentator and award winning professor who has authored several revolutionary books. Prof. Mentz, an international attorney, has been a keynote speaker globally in Asia, Arabia, USA, Mexico, Switzerland, and in the West Indies. Mentz can be contacted for speaking engagements at www.gmentz.com or www.managementconsultant.us *No counseling, tax investment or legal advice provided herein. Please consult with a licensed professional in your jurisdiction before making any important career, financial or legal decision. All rights reserved by George Mentz, Esq.