The World Is Flat
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century (Farrar, Straus and Giroux,
2005 ISBN 0374292884) — "updated and expanded" in
2006 (ISBN 0374292795) — is a best-selling book by
Thomas L. Friedman analyzing the progress of
globalization with an emphasis on the early 21st century.
Friedman's
thesis deals with a concept he calls flattening, whereby production is dominated by complex supply chains based on value-added services, with products in all industries being increasingly leveraged through competitive commoditization and the possibility of using labor and services in emerging markets like India and China. Friedman argues that this is a process by which individuals as well as companies become empowered. He describes how accelerated change is made possible through intersecting technologies and social protocols, such as
cell phones, the
Internet, and
open source software. Friedman criticizes societies that resist these changes, arguing that the inevitability of global change forces all societies to either adapt to its forces or be left behind. He emphasizes the inevitability of a rapid pace of change and the extent to which emerging abilities of individuals and developing countries are creating many pressures on businesses and individuals in the United States, and he has special advice for Americans and for the developing world.
The World is Flat was based on much of Friedman's personal research, travel, conversation, and reflection. In his characteristic style, he communicates his complex conceptual analysis of flattening to the public with personal anecdotes and opinions.
In the course of the book, Friedman discusses his philosophy of history: "I am a technological determinist! . . . I believe that capabilities create intentions. . . . But . . I am not a historical determinist" (chap. 11). He admits that he has exaggerated many of the features of the contemporary world that he has been describing, and notes: "I know that the world is not flat."
The central image of the book―the "flat" world―has been criticized as an "inaccurate and empty image"
that does not suit Friedman's own argument. While Friedman argues that the world is increasingly inter-connected, his image may suggest the opposite, as a flat world would be harder to navigate than a spherical one.
The better way to analyze the central image is to equate the "Flat World" to a "Level playing field". Friedman asserts that technology and communication are empowering countries, companies and individuals to compete in the global economic market as equals. The title of the book was inspired by the software giant Infosys's Chairman Nandan Nilekani.
The book was first published with a jacket that bore a painting, called "I Told You So", depicting a sailing vessel falling off the edge of the world. The week the book came out it was learned that the publisher had not obtained the artist's permission to use the painting.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux printed a new cover using an image of the earth literally flattened like a
coin from the
Corbis stock photography library. In an interesting twist, because the book had rocketed to the top of the
nonfiction New York Times Best Seller list, the new cover also includes the text "National Bestseller", something common for
paperbacks but highly unusual for
first edition hardbound covers.
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The Great Leveling. Review by
Warren Bass,
The Washington Post. April 3, 2005.
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Flathead: The peculiar genius of Thomas L. Friedman. Review by Matt Taibbi,
New York Press. April 27, 2005.
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The Wealth of Yet More Nations. Review by
Fareed Zakaria,
The New York Times. May 1, 2005.
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Inside the new superpowers. Review by
John Kampfner,
Guardian Unlimited. May 15, 2005.
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Falling flat. Review by
Roberto J. Gonzalez,
San Francisco Chronicle. May 15, 2005.
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Confusing Columbus. Review in
The Economist. May 31, 2005.
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But the world's still round. Review by
Siddharth Varadarajan,
The Hindu. Aug 2, 2005.
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Third Wave Central â€" Where The Long Tail, The Creative Class, The Flat World and Short Films Collide
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A Critical Approach to Friedman: When Man and Metaphor Fall Flat. Review by
Joseph Thompson,
A minotaur's þencan. May 8, 2006.
