We live in a confused and confusing world. Populationgrowth, rapidly changing technologies, large migrations ofpeoples and ideas are changing everything faster. This is abrief historical overview of eight of the major problems weface and some radical ways of thinking about them. Theseinclude robots and work, computers and the internet, theincrease in life and health, the challenge to democracy,multiculturalism, educational changes, war and peace.Alan Macfarlane, F.B.A., is an Emeritus Professor ofAnthropology at Cambridge University and a Life Fellowof King's College. His website is alanmacfarlane.com