Shaping a New Society

Shaping a New Society: Conversations on Economics, Education, and Peace is an extended dialogue between economics professor Lawrence J. Lau and Buddhist thinker Daisaku Ikeda on the essential components necessary for a peaceful, flourishing twenty-first-century world. The book opens with an exploration of the financial challenges and opportunities of our time, including a close analysis of the lessons to be learned from the 2008 financial crisis and the keys for shared prosperity across East Asia. These discussions are rounded out by an in-depth focus on the attributes of successful humanistic higher education, a topic of intimate knowledge and concern for both authors, who share a deep desire to instill in today’s young people what Ikeda calls the “broadmindedness required of a global citizen.” At the heart of this dialogue is the coauthors’ conviction that success and prosperity for both individuals and nations cannot be considered apart from the educational systems that mold us all.