“The Digital Challenge for Europe”(including”The Fluid Society”) is available as an e-book from Apple Books, Google Books, Kindle, Kobo and Bol.com. The book with hard cover can be ordered via this website.
“There is no doubt that the world is in an important phase of its evolutionary development” writes Herman Wijffels (Among other things, former Chairman of the Executive Board of Rabobank and Director of the World Bank) in his foreword to the book: “The Digital Challenge for Europe”. And that is exactly what this book is about.
On the one hand mankind has entered a phase of large-scale changes because of all the big world problems, such as climate change, overpopulation with related overconsumption, migration and the depletion of nature, and on the other hand increasing digitalization. Changes of such magnitude that social order will and should irrevocably change drastically in the coming years.
Social order can only change along two lines. Either humanity ends up in greater chaos, because the major problems are not being dealt with and negative forces become more and more dominant. Or the world recovers and a global awareness begins to develop that the great questions of our time require a common approach.
Digitalization is seen by some as a problem, but it can equally be seen as a possible path to solutions. As the corona pandemic showed, digitalization contributes to better cooperation and countries and organizations that use it smartly have a tremendous advantage. New forms of governance for the fluid, digital society are urgently needed. The major problems the world is facing now are addressed in a manner which is too fragmentary and will not lead to adequate solutions. This book, written in cooperation with people of greatly different backgrounds, analyses the challenges and makes suggestions where opportunities lie, in particular for Europe.
The book rightly indicates that when nation states dare to look beyond their borders and dare to cooperate, the current problems become manageable and a better new world unfolds. This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to delve into the questions of the future fluid, digital world.
