Reinventing the future will involve setting goals and finding solutions for major worldwide problems of the environment, the North South gap, arms control and East West relations, and ethics. These are the issues that Christian Science Monitor columnist, Rushworth Kidder addresses in this timely and important book. Reinventing the Future follows up on Kidder's book An Agenda for the 21st Century, which defined and articulated a broad set of goals derived from discussions with such luminaries as Jimmy Carter, Barbara Tuchman, Carlos Fuentes, and Freeman Dyson. While some of the Agenda interviewees are included here, younger commentators have been given broader representation and the range of issues has been narrowed to four, providing a much needed focus on measurable and attainable goals for the next century. Kidder's introductory chapter outlines the need for goals and goal setting by generalists rather than specialists. It conveys the color, texture, and ambience of the exciting, often moving exchanges between the 35 individuals from 12 nations who participated in the Monitor conference that spawned this book. Each of the four "issue chapters" summarizes a problem, outlines specific goals, and lists the steps that can be taken to achieve the goals. The text itself skillfully blends reports of general principles and discussions with the viewpoints and contributions of individuals.
