Review of ABUNDANCE
by Johny McFliggen, PhD Literature & Business, Oxford
Ah, "ABUNDANCE" by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson—a tantalizing proposition, no doubt, given the intellectual pedigree of its purported authors. Yet, as with Schrödinger's cat, the book exists in a curious state of uncertainty. Alas, I find myself in the precarious position of reviewing a ghost.
Nevertheless, one can speculate on the potential confluence of insights that might flow from the brains of Klein and Thompson. Imagine a tome where the labyrinthine corridors of American progress are dissected with surgical precision. Klein, with his incisive political scalpel, and Thompson, wielding a kaleidoscope of economic and cultural perspectives. This could be a masterclass in socio-economic diagnostics, akin to what one might find in "The Second Machine Age" or "Factfulness," both of which invite readers to peer beyond the veil of quotidian narratives and embrace a nuanced understanding of progress.
In the realm of speculative non-fiction, this collaboration would likely highlight the friction between innovation and bureaucracy, much like watching a game of chess between HAL 9000 and a particularly shrewd bureaucrat. One could expect Klein to elucidate the political machinations that create bottlenecks in society's advancement, while Thompson might unravel the economic threads that either constrain or propel us toward abundance.
Their imagined opus would likely explore how the tectonic shifts of technology and policy intersect with the American psyche—a narrative tapestry woven with threads from both "Crazy/Genius" and "The Ezra Klein Show." And yet, in their hands, these topics would transcend mere analysis, serving instead as a clarion call for reimagining our collective future.
If such a book existed, it would not merely be a collection of essays or an assemblage of predictions. It would be an invitation to engage with the complexities of modernity through a lens that is both critical and hopeful—a rare combination in today's polarized discourse.
So while I cannot review "ABUNDANCE" in its non-existent form, I can certainly lament its absence from our intellectual landscape. Perhaps one day such a collaboration will leap from the theoretical to the tangible, and we shall all be richer for it. Until then, I remain hopeful for a future where these two minds converge in print.
Purchase Link: ABUNDANCE on Amazon
