Alvin Toffler and Me
Toffler is a hero of mine. He is one of the reasons I became a futurist.
Toffler is probably the greatest futurist of the last 60 years. R. Buckminster Fuller, Marshall McLuhan, and yes Andy Warhol were visionaries about the future of humanity but would probably not have considered themselves futurists.
Reading these four great men will better prepare us for what we are now facing and will face in the future than perhaps any other four authors alive or dead. But this column is about Toffler and my relationship with him.
A search online indicates that he wrote some 13 books, of which I have read six – and just ordered one of the 7 I haven’t. read. “Future Shock” and “The Third Wave” were probably his two most influential books, certainly for me. Ted Turner, Steve Case, Newt Gingrich, and Carlos Slim all cited Toffler as a strong influence on their lives in business and politics. The People's Republic of China cites Toffler with FDR and Bill Gates as three westerners who most influenced their country.
In the last column about China, I mentioned that I had traveled there in 2015 and 2016 for speaking and book tours. I clearly remember that, when mentioning Toffler, he was known and respected by someone at practically every event at which I spoke.
Fast forward to a year ago when a man named Michael Reiss reached out to me to do a profile about me and my respect for Dr. Toffler. It turns out that Michael’s father, in partnership with Alvin Toffler founded a magazine, Arts Management Magazine last century.
Michael Reiss wrote this in the introduction to The Future Issue:
“I will share Mr. Toffler’s last correspondence with me as The Third Wave was the second-most-read book in China in the ’80s and Toffler is considered one of the most influential Westerners to China’s new prosperity. Along with this, we will feature David Houle, a world-leading futurist and Toffler’s heir apparent”
[Bold emphasis is mine. When I read those three words, I was beyond thrilled!]
The title of the article on me is titled “Alvin Toffler, China, and Me”
Below are some more links to the issue of Arts Management Magazine where you can read what they graciously wrote about me as Toffler’s heir. Beneath that is the account of the one time I met Toffler. A handshake that turned into an hour.