Book: Explore The Big Picture

Forces shaping the future of humanity

André Kuipers

The Big Picture is an essential compilation of the serious issues, problems and challenges all of us living on the planet face. Everybody should read this to understand better what is going on around us.

Astronaut European Space Agency

Prof. Dr. Jan Peter Balkenende

The Big Picture is a comprehensive read that tackles the most pressing challenges and opportunities of our time. Topics are presented in an interconnected manner and with urgency challenging the reader’s beliefs and values. The Big Picture is an invaluable tool for everyone supporting the implementation of the UN SDG’s, leaving us with no doubt of the need for rapid change in order to secure a sustainable future.

Former Prime Minister of The Netherlands / Chairman Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition

Paul Rüpp

An Olympic achievement that seems an impossible task. It is astonishing how The Big Picture captures this chaotic world we live in where everything is connected, covering all fields of science. It convinces the reader that we can achieve more, both individually and together. If you care about the future of humanity, you can’t ignore this book.

Chairman & President - Avans University of Applied Sciences

Ramon Vullings

The Big Picture is an impressive and immersive experience. The book takes a true connected view of the state of the world. The Big Picture shows how everything is linked -from AI to deforestation to education- and  it invites the reader to explore and act in a meaningful connected way.

Author of Not Invented Here: cross-industry innovation

Prof. Dr. Toni Sfirtsis

We are standing at a crossroads. Will we unite to solve the challenges that we are facing? Or, will we continue on the same path until we cross the line of no return? For us to have any chance of success, we need to embrace multiple perspectives. The Big Picture takes the reader on a transformative journey. Like a shifting kaleidoscope, it allows us to discover underlying patterns and connections of the world we created. It is quite remarkable, beautiful and shocking at the same time.

Professor of Strategic Innovation and Future Leadership TIAS, School for Business and Society

Prof. Dr. Marc Vermeulen

The Big Picture gives us a snapshot of our world in an accessible and approachable way, whilst always challenging the reader to apply their own personal insights. The topics covered are richly illustrated, and thought has been given to the interrelatedness of each subject. My hope is that this book will grow into a knowledge platform where the wisdom and insights of humanity contribute to understanding the big picture even further and in more depth.

Professor public strategy, innovation and governance TIAS, School for Business and Society / Tilburg University

Dr. Richard Lucas

Vast in its scope …. vast in its intentions. Mario van Rijn has done an excellent job at bringing to the curious lay reader an outline of a wide range of important and timely topics interspersed with thought provoking questions. While ambitious, he has succeeded in painting The Big Picture. Well done.

TechLauncher Program, Australian National University

General Tom Middendorp

Most of us struggle to understand the complexity and interdependency of our rapidly changing world. In the daily news, we witness geopolitical dynamics, new emerging technologies, human tragedies and the impact of our changing climate. Meanwhile, we find it hard to connect the dots helping to do something about it. The Big Picture brings light to this darkness. It very comprehensively helps us to understand the drivers of change and their root causes with astonishing clarity. And through that understanding it allows us to make the right choices for our future and the future of our children. It helps us to “think big, act small, and start somewhere.”

Chief of Defence of the Netherlands (Ret) / Chairman International Military Council on Climate and Security

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Explore The Big Picture
Book cover ‘Explore The Big Picture’

Explore The Big Picture is a book written for those who want to know more about global patterns / trends and their impact, both now and in the future. Explore The Big Picture explains and links several driving forces that globally impact humanity.

Topics like technology, climate change, society, economy, power, control, space and the human factor. These (and other) driving forces are impacting not only our present but are also shaping our future.

By looking at these topics both individually and together, you are able to form a clearer picture of where we are at and where we may be heading. Thus, allowing us to make decisions and changes that will move humanity forward in the best way possible.

Errata
In writing Explore the Big Picture we have done our best to rely on the most up to date sources and the most accurate facts available. However with a book that adresses so many topic mistakes are inevitable. Unforunately some errors where discovered after the book was published. On the this page you can find a list of errors and the correspponding corrections.