I have decided not to review The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View From the Future by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway (Columbia University Press, 2014). Though I agree with the authors’ worry about what they call “anti-intellectualism” in current Western thinking, I will neither read this book nor recommend it. Rather, if you are still curious, I suggest doing a close read of Michael Shermer’s August 2014 Scientific American Skeptic article.

Then concentrate on reading the many thorough nonfiction studies that suggest real solutions to our many concerns, including our health problems, malnutrition, population stress and limited resources. Many such books appear in the previous reviews in this blog.

Or read our series The Archives of Varok, where solutions to our dilemmas are portrayed as realistically as possible in a fun setting so you can see what might be required to secure a long-term future. Two more books in the series will be coming out in November. Let’s focus on solutions. We don’t need more poorly presented dystopias. We can do better than they portray. The guidelines to an equitable humane future are rational and clear, though not easy.