The "Predestined Future" of Human Extinction, The Path We Must Walk Ahead

Professor Lee Hyun-hoon of Kangwon National University Department of Trade emphasizes a major transformation through the Fourth Way in
He argues we face four transformations: digital revolution, aging population, polarization, and climate crisis

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yunjin Kim] In the movie "Don’t Look Up," released on Netflix last year, the protagonist Kate Dibiasky screams that the comet collision is "not a potential event but an inevitable one," yet no one believes her. What about reality? Humanity is not facing a comet collision, but it stands before four great transformations that have already begun and are certain to occur. The digital revolution, population aging, social polarization, and climate crisis are humanity’s "predestined future," already progressing rapidly.

Professor Hyunhoon Lee of the Department of Trade at Kangwon National University and Director of the International Urban Training Center explains these four great transformations that have already begun and will change our lives in his book Predestined Future: Four New Normals and the Fourth Way, emphasizing the need to prepare for a bold transition to confront them. The book reviews the 300,000-year history of Homo sapiens, examines the background and economic significance of the current four great transformations, and explains what kind of transition humanity needs to avoid extinction.

The digital revolution has transformed society through technological innovation but has deepened social polarization by enriching only the upper class that owns the technology. Population aging signals a structural long-term recession that cannot expect economic growth at the level of the Industrial Revolution, and the climate crisis warns of a mass extinction of life, including humanity. The author points out that COVID-19 was born to warn humanity of disaster and insists that we must painfully reflect on and repent for our past lives.

The four great transformations that will inevitably occur to humanity and the Earth are influencing each other and progressing rapidly. These irreversible transformations are more likely to be a disaster than a blessing for humanity. So, what choices should we make in the face of changes that could potentially cause the extinction of both humanity and the Earth? The author argues that humanity must undertake a bold systemic transition called the "Fourth Way."

The Fourth Way is a path away from the early capitalism propagated by Western society after the Industrial Revolution through to neoliberalism, toward a sustainable and happy society where all current and future human and ecological environments can coexist. The author stresses that we must move toward a society pursuing Sustainable True Development, which considers growth, distribution, and the environment altogether.

The book is composed of three parts: △ Part 1 Predestined Future, Four New Normals △ Part 2 New Economics △ Part 3 Bold Transition. First, it looks back on the 300,000-year history of Homo sapiens to understand the four great transformations. Part 2 explains the economic significance of these transformations. The final Part 3 discusses what choices humanity must make for a future where all ecosystems coexist harmoniously in the face of these great transformations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.