For many observers, today's world seems incomprehensible. On the one hand, there is a relentless wave of technological innovations, especially in the fields of energy and information technology, which are driving economic, environmental, and social change and opening up prospects for accelerated human evolution. On the other hand, human activity is rapidly deteriorating the state of planet Earth to such an extent that some scientists are already talking about a new geological era. Added to this are growing barbarism and terrorism in the name of religion, perceived as a step backwards. Never before has the present been so strongly squeezed between the future and the past. The consequences of this collision—as if between two tectonic plates of the Earth's crust—seem difficult to predict and even alarming. However, between the naive belief in the unlimited benefits offered by technology and the despair in the face of recurring disasters, there is room to build a global governance within a geopolitical framework aimed at extracting the best from human experience. This book prepares the reader for a better understanding of our troubled times.