TXD Idea Book
Evolving To Exponential (2017)
About
Technological progress has become exponential. It is turning our world upside down, opening doors we have never imagined, driving connectedness and complexity explosions that are changing the very rules of the game. Many believe Exponential Technology will save us — others are claiming It accelerates our spiral of doom. Wherever it leads though, one thing is for sure: it is undoubtedly happening. Its evidence is all around us. It is transforming our reality, our potential and our challenges.
But as we travel towards the future at an ever-increasing speed, we may do well to remember that we are still human. Exponential progress is unevenly distributed and may only create abundance with sharp inequalities. We are still torn with questions. We are still seperated by our differences. We still feel burdened by need. Could it be really solved? Can Exponential really save us? Or are we destined to endure?
There may be a key to this challenge. As technology evolves in exponential loops to unimaginable heights around us, it does indeed create unprecedented potential and opportunities. But much though that may be, it may not nearly be enough. Realizing its true potential — and avoiding its most devasting traps — requires us to make our human side of the story evolve as well. We need to find and maintain a healthy balance. To do this, however, we will need to rewire our thinking, reconsider our questions, reimagine our solutions and redesign our systems.
Evolving to Exponential is a curated collection of explorative and hopefully mindshifting essays, all exploring how we could evolve ourselves and our systems to this new world. The essays will take you on journeys, ask important questions and explore meaningful solutions. And independent though they are of each other, they are plenty of opportunities to find connections. One thing shared by all of them, for example, is their connection with “Alone AND Together”, the theme for TEDx Danubia 2017. Written by our speakers, fellows or TXD community members, there may be an elaboration on what you heard in a talk or may be an entirely different adventure inspired by the theme.
Think of this book as another TEDx event, only in a different form.