To understand the conflicts and upheavals of our time, we must look into the past and realize that all this has already happened. Five hundred years ago, during the Renaissance, Leonardo, Columbus, Copernicus, Gutenberg and many others changed their era and gave impetus to the spread of knowledge and the flowering of creativity. But even then, humanity was faced with the downside of progress: social inequality, political extremism, instability, rampant epidemics and increasingly bloody wars. Ian Goldin, former vice president of the World Bank, adviser to President Nelson Mandela, and Chris Kutarna, expert on international politics and economics, we are confident: our era is a New Renaissance, a unique moment when the flowering of genius and the willingness to take risks can completely change the future of humanity. Prosperity awaits us if we learn the lessons of history and rise to the challenges of our time. The Age of Discovery points the way through the crises of our time and lays the foundation for a legacy that the world will be proud of five hundred years after us.