Biography:

Ted Thomas Dixon was born in 1956, British Columbia, in Victoria. He currently resides in a rural town outside of Toronto, Canada with his wife and son. Following his study at the University of Victoria, in the late 1970’s he moved to Ottawa. In 1980 Tad received a B.A. degree in Political Science from Carleton University. Later in 1989 he received a P.H.D. in MIT in international relations and defence and arms control policy. He then moved to the University of Toronto where he directed several research projects based on the relation between environmental stress and violence in developing countries. His recent research is focused on the threat to global security in the 21st century and how the societies adapt complex economic, ecological, and technological change. Currently he holds a George Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict studies at the University College, at the University of Toronto. He is an award-winning author who has published a few books including newspaper articles and scholarly articles.

Theory: The award-winning author, Ted Thomas Dixon, describes his thinking about how the world is changing. His simple and clear language explains the challenges such as global warming and economic instability the world is facing. Homer Dixon describes what we can all do to adopt and prosper in a world of ever-greater complexity, speed, and surprise.

Proof: Evidence of a ‘real world’ example or case as proof of the theory

Economic instability has been a really big factor in the way countries does business today and it would continue to be a challenge for the future generations. What have caused this economic instability are things like oil prices which have skyrocketed in the past 10-15 years, countries spending too money on high tech artillery for war on terrorism, setting tougher laws on trades and international businesses, also as our world gets more and more high tech there are less need for people in the workforce .

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Pros:

Ted Thomas Dixon’s theory promotes individuals to adopt and prosper to such things that require them to thrive and survive in a world that is racing against time.

Cons:

Tad Homer does not provide much detail on theory that underpins his personal thinking about modern society for example in his book The Ingenuity Gap.

Which group of people/nations have really started to listen to Homer-Dixon? Why does his theory scare them?

Homer-Dixon’s theory regarding ingenuity has brought concern to many minds around the world. The consensus would no doubt agree, that solving problems, which virtually seem out of hand require much thought by experts in their given field of study. The only solution to these rising issues in the contemporary world is upon these experts’ formulation of new and revolutionary theories and ideas. However, Homer-Dixon elaborates as problems continue to gain complexity, so declines the ability to counter such issues. In the modern world, poor countries are susceptible to ingenuity. He mentions the developing world as a whole, though lays emphasis on areas in Central America like Haiti, the Horn of Africa, Mexico, Pakistan and India. He refers to their conditions as a development trap. He explains that environmental disasters in these locations contribute to social divisions among the populace, resulting in conflicts. These rising conflicts greatly limit and divide attention for authority figures to take any action regarding the ingenuity crisis. As the disasters grow due to global-environmental issues, so continues this virtually spiralling and endless regression. Thus naturally, poorer countries are fearful of Homer-Dixon’s theory, particular those listed above. As a means to strike this fear into the populace of the developed nations, he also states that immunity to ingenuity in much of the Western world has come to an end. The widening of the ingenuity gap has begun in developed nations as well and if left alone, will inevitably result in political, civil, and economic unrest.

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