Commanding Hope by Thomas Homer-Dixon addresses the frightening convergence of pandemics, inequality, racism, political authoritarianism, climate crisis, and nuclear danger—showing why and how we got here, and most importantly, the powers we possess to renew our imperiled world. Drawing on decades of work on global security and social cohesion, Homer-Dixon explains how today’s globe-spanning crises stem from common sources: beliefs and values too self-centered, political systems too hidebound, economies too rapacious, and technologies too dirty for a small, crowded planet. The book argues that people’s worldviews are the key leverage point for personal and social action to create virtuous cascades of systemic, positive change. Drawing on complexity science, research in physics, philosophy, and psychology, as well as stories from Lord of the Rings to Mad Max to individuals who prevailed over equally dangerous challenges, Homer-Dixon illustrates how to combine three elements of “commanding hope”—honest, astute, powerful—to become active protagonists in achieving a humane future.
Why It Matters: In the face of multiplying global threats, the ideas of hope most people depend on today—faith in technological breakthroughs, authoritarian leadership, or the notion that things usually turn out fine—are increasingly false, naïve, or passive, and will harm rather than help us. By offering practical tools to understand our own and others’ worldviews and to be strategically smart in collective action, the book provides a methodology for the inner and outer work that transformation requires. The “Renew the Future” worldview Homer-Dixon describes—anchored in opportunity, safety, justice, and a common feeling of “we-ness”—stands in powerful opposition to the violent “Mad Max” perspective otherwise likely to spread, giving readers agency to win the battle for tomorrow.
