Thomas F. Homer-Dixon

I am a Canadian professor and author. I grew up on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, studied at MIT, and taught international relations for 30 years at Ontario universities. I'm currently director of the Cascade Institute in British Columbia. I use complexity science to examine threats to global security -- especially economic instability, environmental stress, ideological polarization, and mass violence -- and how people, organizations, and societies can respond to these threats. In my trade books, I write about critical global challenges, particularly those (like climate change) concerning the relationship between our societies and the natural environment. I also write about the causes of mass violence inside and between countries, the failures of economic systems, and the impacts of technologies and increasing complexity on our lives. I'm most interested in how we can adjust our values and worldviews to address our world’s huge problems, which is why my latest book is about hope, an emotion that I think is key to everything else.