The Meaning of the 21st Century: A Blueprint for Ensuring Our Future

June 27, 2007
James Martin | founder, The James Martin 21st Century School, Oxford University

Humanity has a 50-50 chance of surviving this century, according to the eminent cosmologist Sir Martin Rees, Britain’s Astronomer Royal. Grim odds indeed, but James Martin, one of the great intellects of the information age, has devised a plan for stacking them more heavily in our favor. Martin has watched as concurrent crises pile up, including the destruction of the environment, overpopulation, poverty and terrorism—yet up until now lack of awareness and apathy have fostered inaction, when, Martin believes, we truly have the minds and tools to address these “insurmountable problems”. To this end Martin founded (and funded, in Oxford’s largest endowment since the Bodleian library in the 16th century) the 21st Century School, which brings together many institutes and leading academics to work across disciplines on global issues. The School’s mission is “to find solutions to the biggest problems facing humanity in the 21st Century, and identify humanity’s biggest opportunities”, and Martin sees thrilling developments in many areas, including the linking of the human brain to the power of computers.

The creation of the school and its work is documented in Martin’s book and a film documentary titled The Meaning of the 21st Century; the film will have its US premiere on Tuesday evening, June 26th at the Seattle Art Museum/ Plestcheef Auditorium. An onstage interview of Dr. Martin will follow the film, and while the event is free, registration is necessary and done by sending names attending to: rsvp@thewarrenreport.com, The film will be presented as part of the Warren Report’s monthly series identifying North America’s finest films and filmmakers. Doors open at 6:45 pm with the film beginning at 7pm.

Speaker Details

James Martin is a leading authority in computing and a Pulitzer Prize nominee for The Wired Society, a 1977 book that predicted the coming of cell phones and the rise of the internet. His 1987 book Technology’s Crucible foresaw a massive terrorist attack on New York City, and he has authored over 100 other books in the technology field. He holds honorary degrees from six continents, and Computerworld ranked Martin 4th among people who have most influenced the world of computing. He has been an advisor to the Department of Defense and founded Headstrong, a company which designs and develops ultra-complex IT systems.