Download book Here Be Dragons : Science, Technology and the Future of Humanity FB2, EPUB, DOC
9780198723547 English 0198723547 The 20th century saw an unprecedented rate of technological development, and no slowdown is in sight. On the contrary, it is highly likely that changes in the 21st century will be even more revolutionary than those of the 20th, due to advances in science, technology and medicine. Particular areas where extraordinary and perhaps disruptive advances can be expected include biotechnology, nanotechnology, machine intelligence, and various ways to enhance humancognitive and other abilities using, e.g., pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering or machine-brain interfaces. The potential benefits are enormous, but so are the risks, including the possibility of humanextinction. This book is an attempt at a balanced discussion of these various technologies and their potential consequences. At the same time, it is a passionate plea for acting with foresight., There is a widely held conception that progress in science and technology is our salvation, and the more of it, the better. This, however, is an oversimplified and even dangerous attitude. While the future will certainly offer huge changes due to such progress, it is far from certain that all of these changes will be for the better. The unprecedented rate of technological development that the 20th century witnessed has made our lives today vastly different from those in 1900. No slowdown is in sight, and the 21st century will most likely see even more revolutionary changes than the 20th, due to advances in science, technology and medicine. Particular areas where extraordinary and perhaps disruptive advances can be expected include biotechnology, nanotechnology, and machine intelligence. We may also look forward various ways to enhance human cognitive and other abilities using, e.g., pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering or machine-brain interfaces - perhaps to the extent of changing human nature beyond what we currently think of as human, and into a posthuman era. The potential benefits of all these technologies are enormous, but so are the risks, including the possibility of human extinction. This book is a passionate plea for doing our best to map the territories ahead of us, and for acting with foresight, so as to maximize our chances of reaping the benefits of the new technologies while avoiding the dangers.
9780198723547 English 0198723547 The 20th century saw an unprecedented rate of technological development, and no slowdown is in sight. On the contrary, it is highly likely that changes in the 21st century will be even more revolutionary than those of the 20th, due to advances in science, technology and medicine. Particular areas where extraordinary and perhaps disruptive advances can be expected include biotechnology, nanotechnology, machine intelligence, and various ways to enhance humancognitive and other abilities using, e.g., pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering or machine-brain interfaces. The potential benefits are enormous, but so are the risks, including the possibility of humanextinction. This book is an attempt at a balanced discussion of these various technologies and their potential consequences. At the same time, it is a passionate plea for acting with foresight., There is a widely held conception that progress in science and technology is our salvation, and the more of it, the better. This, however, is an oversimplified and even dangerous attitude. While the future will certainly offer huge changes due to such progress, it is far from certain that all of these changes will be for the better. The unprecedented rate of technological development that the 20th century witnessed has made our lives today vastly different from those in 1900. No slowdown is in sight, and the 21st century will most likely see even more revolutionary changes than the 20th, due to advances in science, technology and medicine. Particular areas where extraordinary and perhaps disruptive advances can be expected include biotechnology, nanotechnology, and machine intelligence. We may also look forward various ways to enhance human cognitive and other abilities using, e.g., pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering or machine-brain interfaces - perhaps to the extent of changing human nature beyond what we currently think of as human, and into a posthuman era. The potential benefits of all these technologies are enormous, but so are the risks, including the possibility of human extinction. This book is a passionate plea for doing our best to map the territories ahead of us, and for acting with foresight, so as to maximize our chances of reaping the benefits of the new technologies while avoiding the dangers.