In this book I hope to convince readers of the necessity of education and social movements (SMs) for enhancing our individual and collective life chances and well- being at a time of unprecedented technological and social change. Many of the changes affecting our way of life have had both positive and negative impacts as any reflection on, for example, the internet, will reveal. The internet has opened up new opportunities for people to connect for mutual benefit as well as providing the means for wrongdoing on a massive scale. New information and communication technologies have provided opportunities and connections that can be used for good or bad, improving the life chances of some (e.g. expanded education opportunities) and undermining the life chances of others (e.g. terrorism; cybercrime). In these concluding remarks I describe the main themes of the book as they were discussed in the three parts: Life chances (Part I), Education (Part II) and Social Movements (Part III). Finally, I conclude with the call to action and social change that was advocated by several prominent thinkers mentioned in the book. These issue entrepreneurs seek to educate the public on the threats to our collective life chances and in doing so, to mobilise the power of the masses against those who, for various reasons, seek to preserve the status quo.

Life Chances

The theories and concepts in Ralf Dahrendorf's monograph Life Chances have been most helpful in providing a sociological foundation for the arguments in the book. The difference between the ubiquitous term ‘lifestyle’ popularised by the mass media and the life- chance concept that originated in Max Weber's work was emphasised early in the book; the distinction is important, as it was to Dahrendorf. Yet, the life- chance concept remains understudied despite its greater sociological significance than the modern Western obsession with lifestyle. Published four decades ago, life chances as understood by Dahrendorf are a function of options and ligatures. I summarise these in a simple formula: LCs = f (O, L) – where life chances (LCs) are described as a function of options or choices (O) and ligatures or social bonds (L). I have suggested that among the most important options, choices and opportunities in people's lives is a sound education that begins in early childhood and continues during the lifespan.