Carlota Perez - Circudyne

Mid-century-style painting of a sunny country-house lawn: a silver flying saucer hovers over the grass beyond an empty wicker chair and a set tea table, a manor house in the distance.

Circular Century

The Circular Century — So What

Clarke said that whether or not we are alone in the universe, the prospect is terrifying. This season's final letter asks what would make us worthy of the answer.

Illustration of an Edwardian country lawn at golden hour: a tea table and croquet set on the grass, a wind turbine turning behind the manor house, and a rocket rising in the distance.

Circular Century

Coping with Abundance

Every age of plenty before this one was fleeting — squandered by an economy that profits from more. The Circular Century is the first abundance built to stay. Which leaves only the question of how to cope with it.