As you know, I've been pretty confident about my pessimism, so to speak. My conclusion ultimately rests on a simple notion: that Western society, under the "leadership" of Thatcher/Reagan, has been remarkably successful in recreating the zeitgeist of 19th century capitalism. The world economic system today is classic capitalism, driven purely by greed and fear with no moderating influence of corporate "social responsibility" or government "safety nets." Now that greed has been stripped out of the equation, there is nothing left to drive events but fear. Call me deterministic; call that evidence slight -- but I think this points to major upheavals ahead.
Carl Remick