The world is flat. At least that’s what Thomas Friedman, author of “The World is Flat 3.0,” will tell you. Christopher Columbus knew that the Earth was round before he ever set sail. Why does Friedman believe that the Earth is flat? Friedman means it figuratively. Over many years, the Earth has slowly “flattened out” in terms of communication and progress. The entire population of the Earth has slowly gotten more connected, which levels the playing field for everyone on the earth. What does “The World is Flat really mean though? Thomas Friedman delivers the definition of “The World is Flat” in the introduction to the book. Friedman states that flattening the world means “equalizing, because the flattening forces are empowering more and more individuals today to reach farther faster, deeper, and cheaper than ever before” (Friedman 9). Friedman also goes on to state that flattening is an “equalizing opportunity, by giving many more people the tools and ability to connect, compete, and collaborate.” This means that the everyone in the world has a level playing field to compete on because of tools that have been created to empower them. Everyone has the ability to connect, compete, and collaborate on a global scale which …show more content…
shows just how “flat” the world has become. Friedman, to help explain the flattening process of the world, splits the process into 3 parts: Globalization 1.0, Globalization 2.0, and Globalization 3.0.
Each Globalization is split into time periods, with 1.0 lasting from 1492, when Columbus sailed the ocean, to 1800. Friedman explains that Globalization 1.0 was about countries and their muscle. To further explain this, he adds that it mattered how much “muscle, horsepower, wind power, or, later, steam power your country had and how creatively you could deploy it” (Friedman 22). Globalization 1.0 was all about the competition between countries and how effective you were in using your power in competition. Countries, according to Friedman, led the way in driving global integration in this
era. The next Globalization, Globalization 2.0, lasted from 1800 to 2000, and was interrupted at three points: World War 1, the Great Depression, and World War 2. Friedman explains that “the dynamic force driving global integration was multinational companies” (Friedman 22). Companies were the driving force behind 2.0, and it was led by the expansion of the Dutch and English joint-stock companies and the Industrial Revolution. Friedman believes that, in the first part of this era, globalization was increased by falling transportation costs and innovations such as the railroad. In the second era, telecommunication increased globalization with the diffusion of phones, PCs, and the World Wide Web.
Simplicity clashes with stress. Living with the bare necessities, the working class families keep themselves happy. The husband works while the wife cooks the meals and takes care of the children. No desire for excessive amounts of m oney exists, just a desire for a strong bond within the family. Upper-class families or families striving for success invite stress into their lives. Too much stress from greedy desires of power creates tension in homes. The higher people c limb up society's ladder, the more likely their families are to fall apart. Flatland, by Edwin Abbott, presents the two dimensional world as a society with mostly working class families. A. Square, the narrator, enlightene d by a three dimensional experience longs to tell of the new knowledge revealed to him. Having no desire to learn of this foreign land called "Spaceland," the citizens of Flatland have A Square locked up. From past experiences, peo ple in Flatland know that new ideas cause turmoil amongst themselves. Focusing on having the basics for survival and a strong love within the family produces a peaceful and less stressful environment.
"Flatland" is a story of depth, and the lack there of. The tale of A. Square's ventures through Pointland, Lineland and Spaceland ultimately reveal to him the possibilities of the seemingly impossible. In this case, the "impossibilities" are the very existence of other dimensions, or worlds.
The term 'globalization' has been subjected to a variety of interpretations. Though at its simplest it can be seen as how the world has become integrated economically, politcally, socially and culturally through the advances of technology, communication and transport John Baylis et al. (2011).
As Thomas Friedman explains in his book “The World is Flat”, globalization started “when Columbus set sail, opening trade between the Old World and the New World.” Afterwards, “multinational companies went global for markets and labor,” and around the year 2000, individuals were the ones who got into the global world. Today, individuals and small groups easily enter the global market, collaborate, and compete - a process described by Friedman as “the flattening of the world.”
everyone thought the earth was flat. Please when you read this paper I am quoting from authors
Children are the Future. There’s times where you just sometimes lose motivation for learning, am I right? We don’t realize how much our globalized world is changing and how this might affect us. According to, The World Is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman, our world has changed and it’s becoming flat. We are all competing for jobs and those jobs that were able to get without further education are now being sent to other countries.
The earth is flat. Who, but a government tool, has truly seen the spherical world? The human race should not be content to sit and accept what is broadcasted to the masses. A foul conspiracy to gain power and money keeps us in the dark, and unless the truth is thrust into common knowledge, society will continue to be controlled by scheming New World Leaders. Flat earth is the truth, and lies of science and government perpetuate the myth of a spherical earth.
The three Globalizations contrast in many ways. Globalization 1.0, lasting from 1492 to about 1800, was about countries and muscles. Its force driving the process of global flattening was the amount of "muscle" your country had. The key agent of change in Globalization 2.0, which lasted from 1800 to 2000, was the power of multinational companies, which went global for markets and labor. Globalization 3.0, beginning in 2000 flattened the playing field even more. The dynamic force was the power by which individuals could collaborate and compete globally. They could do so digitally with the convergence of the personal computer with fiber-optic cable. Globalization 3.0 differs from the previous two not only in how the world is flattening, but also in the types of people involved. In Globalization 1.0 and 2.0 it was mostly American and European businesses who...
In the essay “Is the Earth Round or Flat?” by Alan Lightman, published in 1996 in the essay collection Dance for Two, Lightman asks if we have wrongly assumed that the Earth is round just because we have been taught this. He starts the essay by addressing the readers and asks them to think about how many people “believe what they hear” and think nothing more of it. He uses the example that most of people have never proved that the world isn’t flat because that’s what they have been taught since a young age, and most people believe what they’ve been taught. Lightman then proceeds to explain how scientists like Aristotle and Eratosthenes proved how the Earth is round. This portion of the essay takes up about half of the essay. This leads Lightman
Arguments supporting the "flat world theory" come mainly from Friedman. His argument rests on the assumption of ten flatteners and a triple convergence. Friedman says that the power of new information technology has helped bring the world closer together and has made it more interconnected and interdependent (Friedman, 2005). More people now have access to this technological platform for education, innovation and entrepreneurship (Friedman, 2005). However, Florida (2005, p.51) argues that this flat playing field mainly affects the advanced countries, which see not only manufacturing work but also higher-end jobs. Other developing or undeveloped countries simply do not have the luxury of this connection and are left out of this technological platform. Florida (2005, p.51) contends that “...there are more insidious tensions among the world’s growing peaks, sinking valleys, and shifting hills”. This inequality is growing across the world and within countries.
Constant change and a flat, global competitive market landscape were described by Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, as triple convergence and was a result of the ten flatteners. Friedman also stated that in “Globalization 1.0, countries had to think globally. In Globalization 2.0, companies had to think globally to thrive, or at least survive. In Globalization 3.0, individuals have to think globally to thrive, or at least survive.” (Friedman, 2007) The concept of needing individuals to think globally and thrive in the market led Friedman to travel and report on various educational cultures across the world. Friedman was determined to find “the right stuff” to make the youth in future generations competitive globally.
The Earth isn't flat. To some that is obvious. To others it's a bold statement. Many scientists and people argue about a topic that has a clear answer. Is the Earth Flat? Over centuries, people have debated whether or not our planet is flat. But now, with the advancements of science and technology, people still choose to believe and create groups or “societies” claiming the Earth is flat. The flat Earth idea is false due to use of science, common sense and an individual's own opinion.
First of all, Friedman talks about the different levels of globalization. There are 3 different time periods in which the society has differed and changed, bringing us to where we are today. Globalization 1.0, which took place from 1492 to 1800, was the first step to making the world flatter. The coming to America, and the industrial drive that came along with this is what most characterized globalization 1.0. The industry drive was about things such as manpower and horsepower, and how well we could utilize these in the world market. This caused the world to “shrink” a little bit, and become flatter. With the discovery of a new world, it broadened the area in which business was conducted, but the commonality of rule and trade caused the distance to be spanned more frequently. I think Friedman’s notions regarding globalization 1.0 is very accurate. The world in our terms began in 1492 with the discovery of North America. Once the area began to be inhabited and settled, there was much more worldwide interaction. Communications and trade between the American colonies and England increased, and this began a more stable business of worldwide association. I believe that Friedman’s theory is true, because the discovery of a land across the ocean for th...
...in the new “flat world” individuals need to figure out how to become “untouchable.” He explains that “untouchables are people whose jobs cannot be outsourced, digitized, or automated” (184). He explains that in a “flat world” there is no longer a job based solely on geographic, but rather in most cases an available job “will go to the best, smartest, most productive or cheapest worker-wherever he or she resides” (183). He goes on to show that companies and individuals have to look at the global picture today in order to succeed (183).
Globalization’s history is extremely diversified and began during the beginning of civilization. Now we live in a world that is constantly evolving, demanding people to use resources in locations that are very difficult to obtain certain resources. This could make it completely impossible to operate in these specific parts of the world. However, globalization allows people across the world to acquire much needed resources. Globalization creates the opportunity for businesses to take advantage and exploit the ability to take part of their business to a different country. Nevertheless, globalization is part of today’s society and will be involved in virtually all situations.