The Next Renaissance

Introduction

In October 1930, as the world plunged into the Great Depression, economist John Maynard Keynes published an essay titled Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren. Only months after the catastrophic stock market crash, Keynes dared to offer a counterpoint to despair. Where most saw devastation, he saw possibility for long‐term transformation.

He argued that beneath the turbulence of collapse, humanity was moving, however haltingly, toward a future defined by abundance rather than scarcity—a future in which “the economic problem may be solved,” and our challenge would move beyond survival to living wisely and well.

Keynes did not say exactly how such a future would unfold, nor could he have with any credibility. Instead, he pointed toward his vision on the horizon, the possibility of a second Renaissance, when technological innovation would end our struggle to meet all basic needs.

Unsurprisingly, most contemporaries dismissed his vision as hopelessly naive, absurdly optimistic, and, amid widespread suffering, tone‐deaf.

Ninety years later, though, much of what Keynes foretold has taken shape. Mortality rates have fallen, and almost half of the world's population has escaped extreme poverty. Vaccination, sanitation, education, and technology have all altered the arc of human existence. Today, we find ourselves closer than ever to the vision he described, where humans move beyond survival and are able to thrive.

His prophecy has already played out in ways his ...