A Brief History of the Future: A Brave and Controversial Look at the Twenty-First Century

by Jacques Attali

Three powers have always coexisted: the religious, which sets the hours of prayer, marks the agricultural seasons, and moderates access to the afterlife; the military, which organizes the hunt, defense, and conquest; and the mercantile, which produces, finances, and markets the fruits of human labor.

the ritual order, in which authority is essentially religious; the imperial order, in which power is primarily military; and the mercantile order, in which the paramount group is the one that controls the economy.

Some 3.8 billion years ago, life emerges in the ocean depths, and 350 million years ago on dry land.

The horse gave Central Asia power over Mesopotamia; the stern rudder brought it back to Europe; the galley delivered victory over Bruges to Venice; the printing press was the foundation of Antwerp’s triumph; the caravel made possible the discovery of America; the steam engine was the key to London’s ascent. A new source of energy (petroleum), a new motor (internal combustion), and a new industrial artifact (the automobile) confer power to the East Coast of America and its then dominant port, Boston.

Countries that refuse to admit foreigners will see a population collapse. Those that accept them will see their population change. In the bosom of the European Union, people coming from Africa and their descendants could represent 20 percent of the population by 2025.

the wealthiest concentrate in their hands the powers of informing, distracting, knowing, monitoring, healing, teaching, channeling, deciding, and accumulating.