A brief history of the future

About “A brief history of the future”

In this international best seller, Jacques Attali predicts how the world will change over the coming decades and into the next century. He asks whether the future will be marked by chaos or by peace and prosperity. Attali believes history moves in a steady direction, despite unpredictable events. He identifies three political orders in human history: the ritual order, where religion holds power; the imperial order, where military strength dominates; and the mercantile order, where economic control is key. He points to nine distinct "cores" in the mercantile order since around 1200 and predicts what the tenth will be by the next century. Attali emphasizes that the future holds both great promise and significant dangers, and how humanity responds to challenges will shape the world for future generations.