FOURTH WAY, THE

This book, The Fourth Way: Navigating Global Challenges for a Sustainable Future, explores the defining challenges that confront humanity in the 21st century: the rise of the digital society, unprecedented population aging, intensifying social polarization, and the escalating climate crisis. Referred to collectively as the 'four new normals,' these intertwined forces pose systemic risks that current sustainable development frameworks have proven inadequate to address.

The book aims to propose a bold and integrative response—what the author calls the Fourth Way. Grounded in both Eastern and Western philosophical and religious traditions, this alternative framework seeks to transcend the limitations of neoliberalism, authoritarian socialism, the Third Way, and Degrowth ideologies. Instead, it envisions a pathway toward Sustainable True Development, built on the dual pillars of inclusive true growth and green true growth.

By rethinking the goals and ethics of development in the digital age, the book calls for a transformation in how humanity relates to itself, to technology, and to the planet. It offers a multidisciplinary synthesis that bridges economic theory, environmental stewardship, and spiritual reflection, ultimately advocating a humane and ecologically grounded model of progress. This work is for scholars, policymakers, and all who seek a principled and future-oriented alternative in the face of global uncertainty.

Contents:

• Preface
• About the Author
• Homo sapiens Facing Four New Normals:
  • The Digital Society
  • The Aging Society
  • The Polarized Society
  • The Climate Crisis
• Four Swans and United Nations' Sustainable Development:
  • Four New Normals, Four Swans
  • The Emergence and Evolution of Sustainable Development Agenda
  • The Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015)
  • The Sustainable Development Goals (2016–2030)
• A Search for a New Way for Our Shared Future:
  • East–West Wisdom for Our Shared Future
  • Evolving Economic Thought
  • Navigating the Middle Path: The Third Way
  • Rethinking Growth: The Case for Degrowth in a Finite World
• The Fourth Way:
  • Vision, Goals, Strategies, and Principles
  • Inclusive True Growth
  • Green True Growth
  • Possible Criticisms and Responses
• Epilogue
• References
• Index

Readership: Graduate students, researchers, and professors in economics, political science, sustainability, sociology, philosophy, and international development; policy advisors, UN officials, and public administrators; national and local government departments addressing economic transformation, social equity, climate action, and demographic change; United Nations agencies (e.g., UNDP, UNEP, UNDESA), World Bank, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Asian Development Bank, etc.; Global civil society organizations engaged in climate justice, development ethics, and governance reform; Analysts at development think tanks, foresight centers, and future-oriented strategy groups; ESG strategists, CSR professionals, and sustainability officers in corporations.