The World Is Flat is a book by Thomas Friedman discussing the trends of globalization in the 21st century. Friedman describes himself as a "free-trader," arguing in favor of the rapid shifts towards a more interconnected economic world after the fall of the USSR as a result of the Internet, computers, outsourcing and workflow software. Friedman also presents his controversial Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention: that corporations' increased dependency on foreign labor and resources will prevent armed conflict.
In a frank discussion of the fear amongst Americans regarding competition and education, Friedman explores the“right stuff”; the educational requirements needed to survive in the flattened world and more importantly, the availability of said education in our current system. Stressing the importance of self-learning and learning to learn, Friedman offers valuable advice to parents unsure of their children’s educational and professional futures. He recommends building right-brain skills, or those that cannot be duplicated by a computer, and explores different vehicles to higher learning, including music. Friedman examines the factors necessary to create the right environment for this learning andcontemplates methods of achieving this in modern day America.
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