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Loading... Future Imperfect: Technology and Freedom in an Uncertain Worldby David D. Friedman
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Future Imperfect describes and discusses a variety of technological revolutions that might happen over the next few decades, their implications and how to deal with them. Topics range from encryption and surveillance through biotechnology and nanotechnology to life extension, mind drugs, virtual reality and artificial intelligence. One theme of the book is that the future is radically uncertain. Technological changes already begun could lead to more or less privacy than we have ever known, freedom or slavery, effective immortality or the elimination of our species, and radical changes in life, marriage, law, medicine, work and play. We do not know which future will arrive, but it is unlikely to be much like the past. It is worth starting to think about it now. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)303.483Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Social Processes Social change Causes of change Development of science and technologyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Friedman is an engaging and entertaining writer and did a good job of covering his subjects, especially the legal issues surrounding them. Occasionally some of his hypotheses are a bit out there, but he explains in the introduction that he's simply providing examples of technological revolutions that could come to pass, and not predicting anything.
My only complaint is that, either because the book was started several years ago, or because he didn't want it to seem obsolete too quickly, there are relatively few references to contemporary technologies that are the forerunners to some of the things he discusses, even though it was published in 2008. I felt the text lost some currency because of this - for instance, when discussing the possibility of anonymous independent e-cash, he eventually offered a few examples of why it could come into being, but never explicitly compared it to our current online cash service, Paypal. ( )