20:21 Vision

This lengthy philosophical treatise from the editor-in-chief of The Economist wanders all over recent history and offers some cautious, well-hedged ruminations about the shape of things to come. It’s a pleasure to read, like lounging in a posh boat and drifting down a slow river of thought. The current of thought is almost directionless. Emmott shifts from subject to subject, time period to time period, perspective to perspective easily, with no restraint. He has a little pro-Americanism here, a little underestimating of the Chinese there, but nothing sharp-edged. Readers looking for a succinct point of view will be disappointed; so will those seeking fresh, new ideas. But getAbstract.com understands that those who enjoy considering and decoding the complex web of political and economic forces will be delighted.