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Edge Question
This Will Change Everything: Ideas That Will Shape the Future
"What game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?"
This is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to more than 100 of the world's most influential minds. Exhilarating, visionary, sometimes frightening, but always fascinating, their responses provide an eye-opening road map of our near future.
This is the question John Brockman, publisher of Edge.org, posed to more than 100 of the world's most influential minds. Exhilarating, visionary, sometimes frightening, but always fascinating, their responses provide an eye-opening road map of our near future.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
John Brockman
69 books619 followersJohn Brockman is an American literary agent and author specializing in scientific literature. He established the Edge Foundation, an organization that brings together leading edge thinkers across a broad range of scientific and technical fields.
He is author and editor of several books, including: The Third Culture (1995); The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years (2000); The Next Fifty Years (2002) and The New Humanists (2003).
He has the distinction of being the only person to have been profiled on Page One of the "Science Times" (1997) and the "Arts & Leisure" (1966), both supplements of The New York Times.
He is author and editor of several books, including: The Third Culture (1995); The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years (2000); The Next Fifty Years (2002) and The New Humanists (2003).
He has the distinction of being the only person to have been profiled on Page One of the "Science Times" (1997) and the "Arts & Leisure" (1966), both supplements of The New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 7, 2018
ENGLISH
What a great concept for a non-fiction book, to let luminaries answer questions briefly and succinctly.
As a literary agent with a focus on scientific literature, Brockman understands to foster interest in research in an accessible and understandable way through a new book concept.
Based on the brilliant and straightforward position of a question to scientists, but also artists and other prominent personalities, a collection of different views of the world and personal theories open up.
In contrast to real, "hard" non-fiction, it is primarily about theses, ideas or even purely subjective opinions on developments. Without the restrictive liability on the correctness of scientific respectability. Whether this is to be seen as a shortcoming or stimulating, comprehensive coverage of all possible views and ideas on a topic from different perspectives, remains a matter of opinion. Also, one can just continue to browse and pick the personal favorite pieces from the extensive offered contents, if one disagrees with specific professional groups or certain authors.
The book also does not claim to convey reliable knowledge based on experiments and research. It is somewhat more of a comprehensive collection of ideas, impulses and potential creativity accelerators and predestined for the own head cinema. Alternatively, it is quite suitable as a collection of ideas or craft workshop including a variety of interchangeable concept tools for authors. The different approaches, influenced by the respective hobbyhorse of the groups of authors, also provide fascinating insights into the thought patterns that accompany the separate profession and shape a professional group.
Topics include telepathy, avatars, genetic research, quantum computing, artificial intelligence development, nanotechnology, and many more.
Also, especially such almost 400-page, theoretical and sometimes dry and theoretical works are less deterring with the help of 2 to 5 page long answers than by equally page-long explanations to a single aspect in average specialist literature. Longer breaks in reading do not pose a problem since no context is lost and no earlier passages necessary for further understanding fall into oblivion.
One can certainly complain that it is just a collection of articles from Brockman's homepage and that there are other, "real" non-fiction authors, which deal well with a single topic or complex of issues and, in the best case, still incorporate new, own insights.
Unfortunately, as in fiction, both competence and writing talent (since even a ghostwriter instructed by the scientist never reproduces the meaning of a complex topic in the same quality and comprehensibility as the researcher himself) are even rarer. Moreover, also writers as accessible as Simon Singh, Stephen Hawking or Michio Kaku can be too complex for newbies to the topics.
This fear of not understanding and failing to read is offset by the accessibility and brevity of the articles, and on the contrary, arouses interest in one subject or another. Maybe from just mentioned authors and the circle is closed.
There are similar books by Brockman, designed according to the same pattern, which deal among others with the following questions: "What do we have to think about? How does the world work? What makes us smarter? What is your most dangerous idea? How has the internet changed your life? "Life, what is that? ", etc.
All beautiful collections of compressed ideas to browse through, explicitly looking for specific explanatory models, scouring for preferred branches of knowledge and again and again stir interest and enthusiasm for science.
GERMAN
Welch famoses Konzept für ein Sachbuch, Koryphäen kurz und prägnant Fragen beantworten zu lassen
Brockman versteht es, als Literaturagent mit dem Hauptschwerpunkt auf Wissenschaftsliteratur, durch ein neuartiges Buchkonzept das Interesse an Forschung auf eine zugängliche und verständliche Art und Weise zu schüren.
Anhand der schlichten und genialen Stellung einer Frage an Wissenschaftler, aber auch Künstler und andere prominente Persönlichkeiten, eröffnet sich eine Sammlung unterschiedlichster Betrachtungsweisen der Welt und individuellen Theorien.
Im Gegensatz zu richtiger, „harter“ Sachliteratur geht es primär um Thesen, Ideen oder auch nur rein subjektive Meinungen zu Entwicklungen. Ohne dass für Richtigkeit oder wissenschaftliche Seriosität Haftung übernommen werden kann. Ob dies eher als Manko oder anregende, umfangreiche Abdeckung aller möglichen Standpunkte und Ideen zu einem Thema aus verschiedenen Perspektiven zu werten ist, bleibt Ansichtssache. Auch kann man schlicht bei Berufsgruppen oder einzelnen Autoren, die einem persönlich nicht zusagen, weiterblättern und sich gezielt die persönlichen Gustostücke aus dem unfangreichen Fundus picken.
Das Buch stellt auch nicht den Anspruch, fundiertes, auf Experimenten und Forschung fußendes Wissen zu vermitteln. Es ist eher mehr eine umfassende Sammlung an Ideen, Impulsgebern und potentiellen Kreativitätsbeschleunigern und für das eigene Kopfkino. Oder als Ideensammlung oder Bastelwerkstatt samt vielfältigen, austauschbaren Konzeptwerkzeugen für Autoren durchaus geeignet. Auch bergen die unterschiedlichen, durch das jeweilige Steckenpferd der Autorengruppen beeinflussten, Herangehensweisen interessante Einblicke in die Denkmuster, die mit der jeweiligen Profession einher gehen und eine Berufsgruppe prägen.
Zu den angeschnittenen Themen gehören Telepathie, Avatare, Genforschung, Quantencomputer, Entwicklung künstliche Intelligenzen, Nanotechnik und etliche mehr.
Auch werden speziell solchen fast 500 Seiten umfassenden, theoretischen und trockenen Werken eher skeptisch gegenüberstehende Zeitgenossen durch die zwischen 2 bis 5 Seiten langen Antworten weniger abgeschreckt als durch ebenso seitenlange Erläuterungen zu einem einzigen Aspekt in Fachliteratur. Auch dass längere Zwischenpausen beim Lesen kein Problem darstellen, da kein roter Faden verloren geht und keine für das Verständnis wichtige, in früheren Passagen erläuterte Sachverhalte dem Vergessen anheim fallen, fällt positiv ins Gewicht.
Man kann gewiss monieren, dass es im eigentlichen Sinn eine Artikelsammlung von der
Homepage des geschäftstüchtigen Brockman ist, man die Beiträge auch auf Englisch auf eben dieser Homepage lesen kann und es andere Sachbuchautoren gibt, die sich fundiert mit einem einzelnen Thema oder Themenkomplex auseinandersetzen und dabei im besten Fall noch neue, eigene Erkenntnisse mit einfließen lassen. Dies fällt in diesem Werk komplett weg.
Leider sind, wie in der Belletristik auch, die sowohl mit Forschungskompetenz als auch Schreibtalent (da selbst ein vom Wissenschaftler instruierter Ghostwriter den Sinn einer komplexen Thematik nie in derselben Qualität und Verständlichkeit wie der Forscher selbst wiedergeben kann) gesegneten Wissenschaftler noch rarer. Und selbst ein Simon Singh, Stephen Hawking oder Michio Kaku flösst Neulingen Respekt ein.
Diese Angst, nicht verstehen und am Lesen scheitern zu können, fällt durch die Zugänglichkeit und Kürze der Artikel weg und weckt im besten Fall im Gegenteil Interesse an dem einen oder anderen Thema. Vielleicht von eben erwähnten Autoren.
Es gibt nach demselben Muster konzipierte Werke des Herausgebers, die sich mit folgenden Fragen beschäftigen: „Worüber müssen wir nachdenken? Wie funktioniert die Welt? Was macht uns schlauer? Was ist ihre gefährlichste Idee? Wie hat das Internet ihr Leben verändert?“ „Leben, was ist das?“, usw.
Allesamt feine Sammlungen komprimierter Ideen zum Durchblättern, gezielt nach gewissen Erklärungsmodellen suchen, nach präferierten Wissenszweigen durchforsten und immer wieder neu Interesse und Begeisterung an der Wissenschaft schüren.
What a great concept for a non-fiction book, to let luminaries answer questions briefly and succinctly.
As a literary agent with a focus on scientific literature, Brockman understands to foster interest in research in an accessible and understandable way through a new book concept.
Based on the brilliant and straightforward position of a question to scientists, but also artists and other prominent personalities, a collection of different views of the world and personal theories open up.
In contrast to real, "hard" non-fiction, it is primarily about theses, ideas or even purely subjective opinions on developments. Without the restrictive liability on the correctness of scientific respectability. Whether this is to be seen as a shortcoming or stimulating, comprehensive coverage of all possible views and ideas on a topic from different perspectives, remains a matter of opinion. Also, one can just continue to browse and pick the personal favorite pieces from the extensive offered contents, if one disagrees with specific professional groups or certain authors.
The book also does not claim to convey reliable knowledge based on experiments and research. It is somewhat more of a comprehensive collection of ideas, impulses and potential creativity accelerators and predestined for the own head cinema. Alternatively, it is quite suitable as a collection of ideas or craft workshop including a variety of interchangeable concept tools for authors. The different approaches, influenced by the respective hobbyhorse of the groups of authors, also provide fascinating insights into the thought patterns that accompany the separate profession and shape a professional group.
Topics include telepathy, avatars, genetic research, quantum computing, artificial intelligence development, nanotechnology, and many more.
Also, especially such almost 400-page, theoretical and sometimes dry and theoretical works are less deterring with the help of 2 to 5 page long answers than by equally page-long explanations to a single aspect in average specialist literature. Longer breaks in reading do not pose a problem since no context is lost and no earlier passages necessary for further understanding fall into oblivion.
One can certainly complain that it is just a collection of articles from Brockman's homepage and that there are other, "real" non-fiction authors, which deal well with a single topic or complex of issues and, in the best case, still incorporate new, own insights.
Unfortunately, as in fiction, both competence and writing talent (since even a ghostwriter instructed by the scientist never reproduces the meaning of a complex topic in the same quality and comprehensibility as the researcher himself) are even rarer. Moreover, also writers as accessible as Simon Singh, Stephen Hawking or Michio Kaku can be too complex for newbies to the topics.
This fear of not understanding and failing to read is offset by the accessibility and brevity of the articles, and on the contrary, arouses interest in one subject or another. Maybe from just mentioned authors and the circle is closed.
There are similar books by Brockman, designed according to the same pattern, which deal among others with the following questions: "What do we have to think about? How does the world work? What makes us smarter? What is your most dangerous idea? How has the internet changed your life? "Life, what is that? ", etc.
All beautiful collections of compressed ideas to browse through, explicitly looking for specific explanatory models, scouring for preferred branches of knowledge and again and again stir interest and enthusiasm for science.
GERMAN
Welch famoses Konzept für ein Sachbuch, Koryphäen kurz und prägnant Fragen beantworten zu lassen
Brockman versteht es, als Literaturagent mit dem Hauptschwerpunkt auf Wissenschaftsliteratur, durch ein neuartiges Buchkonzept das Interesse an Forschung auf eine zugängliche und verständliche Art und Weise zu schüren.
Anhand der schlichten und genialen Stellung einer Frage an Wissenschaftler, aber auch Künstler und andere prominente Persönlichkeiten, eröffnet sich eine Sammlung unterschiedlichster Betrachtungsweisen der Welt und individuellen Theorien.
Im Gegensatz zu richtiger, „harter“ Sachliteratur geht es primär um Thesen, Ideen oder auch nur rein subjektive Meinungen zu Entwicklungen. Ohne dass für Richtigkeit oder wissenschaftliche Seriosität Haftung übernommen werden kann. Ob dies eher als Manko oder anregende, umfangreiche Abdeckung aller möglichen Standpunkte und Ideen zu einem Thema aus verschiedenen Perspektiven zu werten ist, bleibt Ansichtssache. Auch kann man schlicht bei Berufsgruppen oder einzelnen Autoren, die einem persönlich nicht zusagen, weiterblättern und sich gezielt die persönlichen Gustostücke aus dem unfangreichen Fundus picken.
Das Buch stellt auch nicht den Anspruch, fundiertes, auf Experimenten und Forschung fußendes Wissen zu vermitteln. Es ist eher mehr eine umfassende Sammlung an Ideen, Impulsgebern und potentiellen Kreativitätsbeschleunigern und für das eigene Kopfkino. Oder als Ideensammlung oder Bastelwerkstatt samt vielfältigen, austauschbaren Konzeptwerkzeugen für Autoren durchaus geeignet. Auch bergen die unterschiedlichen, durch das jeweilige Steckenpferd der Autorengruppen beeinflussten, Herangehensweisen interessante Einblicke in die Denkmuster, die mit der jeweiligen Profession einher gehen und eine Berufsgruppe prägen.
Zu den angeschnittenen Themen gehören Telepathie, Avatare, Genforschung, Quantencomputer, Entwicklung künstliche Intelligenzen, Nanotechnik und etliche mehr.
Auch werden speziell solchen fast 500 Seiten umfassenden, theoretischen und trockenen Werken eher skeptisch gegenüberstehende Zeitgenossen durch die zwischen 2 bis 5 Seiten langen Antworten weniger abgeschreckt als durch ebenso seitenlange Erläuterungen zu einem einzigen Aspekt in Fachliteratur. Auch dass längere Zwischenpausen beim Lesen kein Problem darstellen, da kein roter Faden verloren geht und keine für das Verständnis wichtige, in früheren Passagen erläuterte Sachverhalte dem Vergessen anheim fallen, fällt positiv ins Gewicht.
Man kann gewiss monieren, dass es im eigentlichen Sinn eine Artikelsammlung von der
Homepage des geschäftstüchtigen Brockman ist, man die Beiträge auch auf Englisch auf eben dieser Homepage lesen kann und es andere Sachbuchautoren gibt, die sich fundiert mit einem einzelnen Thema oder Themenkomplex auseinandersetzen und dabei im besten Fall noch neue, eigene Erkenntnisse mit einfließen lassen. Dies fällt in diesem Werk komplett weg.
Leider sind, wie in der Belletristik auch, die sowohl mit Forschungskompetenz als auch Schreibtalent (da selbst ein vom Wissenschaftler instruierter Ghostwriter den Sinn einer komplexen Thematik nie in derselben Qualität und Verständlichkeit wie der Forscher selbst wiedergeben kann) gesegneten Wissenschaftler noch rarer. Und selbst ein Simon Singh, Stephen Hawking oder Michio Kaku flösst Neulingen Respekt ein.
Diese Angst, nicht verstehen und am Lesen scheitern zu können, fällt durch die Zugänglichkeit und Kürze der Artikel weg und weckt im besten Fall im Gegenteil Interesse an dem einen oder anderen Thema. Vielleicht von eben erwähnten Autoren.
Es gibt nach demselben Muster konzipierte Werke des Herausgebers, die sich mit folgenden Fragen beschäftigen: „Worüber müssen wir nachdenken? Wie funktioniert die Welt? Was macht uns schlauer? Was ist ihre gefährlichste Idee? Wie hat das Internet ihr Leben verändert?“ „Leben, was ist das?“, usw.
Allesamt feine Sammlungen komprimierter Ideen zum Durchblättern, gezielt nach gewissen Erklärungsmodellen suchen, nach präferierten Wissenszweigen durchforsten und immer wieder neu Interesse und Begeisterung an der Wissenschaft schüren.
June 21, 2010
I bought this book thinking it would be a series of ten to twenty essays, each focusing on one particular product or concept and how its contribution to society will be magnified by future technological advancements. I was right about most of that guess - I was wrong about the number of authors. Not ten or twenty, but one hundred and twenty five scholars lend their voice to this compilation, each expounding on one or many changes they believe will happen in the coming decades that will, as the title implies, change everything.
The topics range from the grounded to the esoteric, but the majority fall into one of the following categories: brain science (including epistemology), the exponential growth of computing power, space travel and research, and environmental changes including the global climate crisis. In treating these topics, the authors' voices range from young and emphatic to seasoned and professorial.
However, with each essay being 1-3 pages in length, you are never given any real, substantial depth. The men and women who wrote these predictions are scholars in many different fields, from the natural sciences to the public sphere, yet are not given enough page space to elaborate on these fascinating topics. Admittedly, some topics started out boring and were over quickly, but the majority were very interesting and were only discussed in tantalyzingly short bursts.
I would have preferred that this book contain one tenth of the articles but with ten times the allotable word count. That way, you'd keep the most intriguing articles and supplement them with enough substantiating detail to actually teach the reader something while weeding out the one-to-two page essays - a few of which were just one paragraph - that smacked of unpreparedness.
I give this compilation three stars because I love reading about what today's leading minds think the future will bring. A book of 125 three-page essays about anything else would earn nothing greater than a 2-star review.
The topics range from the grounded to the esoteric, but the majority fall into one of the following categories: brain science (including epistemology), the exponential growth of computing power, space travel and research, and environmental changes including the global climate crisis. In treating these topics, the authors' voices range from young and emphatic to seasoned and professorial.
However, with each essay being 1-3 pages in length, you are never given any real, substantial depth. The men and women who wrote these predictions are scholars in many different fields, from the natural sciences to the public sphere, yet are not given enough page space to elaborate on these fascinating topics. Admittedly, some topics started out boring and were over quickly, but the majority were very interesting and were only discussed in tantalyzingly short bursts.
I would have preferred that this book contain one tenth of the articles but with ten times the allotable word count. That way, you'd keep the most intriguing articles and supplement them with enough substantiating detail to actually teach the reader something while weeding out the one-to-two page essays - a few of which were just one paragraph - that smacked of unpreparedness.
I give this compilation three stars because I love reading about what today's leading minds think the future will bring. A book of 125 three-page essays about anything else would earn nothing greater than a 2-star review.
December 18, 2022
"Lies, damn lies and statistics"
And forecasts. Nothing strokes the ego as much as reading old forecasts by our betters. They're nearly always wrong and this book is no exception.
Eloquently put for the most part by a myriad of specialists (most I haven't heard of) in a two to three page format.
The ones I recognised ,and used to like, I no longer care for such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins or Ian Banks.
A 10 year old bargain bucket buy. 4/10
And forecasts. Nothing strokes the ego as much as reading old forecasts by our betters. They're nearly always wrong and this book is no exception.
Eloquently put for the most part by a myriad of specialists (most I haven't heard of) in a two to three page format.
The ones I recognised ,and used to like, I no longer care for such as Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins or Ian Banks.
A 10 year old bargain bucket buy. 4/10
September 11, 2011
This particular book contains a bunch of artists and scientists doing a lot of lofty predicting. Not that I'm against high altitude thinking I guess I more concerned with the practical things. When will dinner be ready is what I'm hearing most not when will AI make it possible to solve the world's problems. Some things can be done but I wonder if some things should be done. Who exactly is going to carry out the practical aspects of advanced technology? Who are the boots on the ground?
Read
August 2, 2022This guy, Brockman, is known for the associations with the "new atheists" and the "digerati", and more recently for being a close contact of J. Epstein. But he is/was also linked to T. Kaczynski, aka the Unabomber, being the agent and friend of one of the victims/targets of the Unabomber.
So, when he says "ideas that will shape the future" he probably means it, as in "what the CIA has in store for you in the future", him being their agent and divulgator.
So, when he says "ideas that will shape the future" he probably means it, as in "what the CIA has in store for you in the future", him being their agent and divulgator.
April 6, 2020
I read this for our staff book club and it is a fine book but just not for me. It is a series of short essays written by 100 of the world’s most influential minds in response to the question “What game-changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live to see?” Most of these are very deep dives into everything from A.I., life on other planets, renewable energy, living longer, human genomes and nuclear war. But there were just so many...and some duplicating ideas....
March 24, 2010
This is a book that I would recommend without hesitation. Imagine the opportunity in 1641 to ask Galileo--what in your opinion would change everything. Or in 1687 to ask Newton what will change everything? This book poses the question to a range of recognized contemporary individuals--what in your mind will change everything. The book is quite accessible because the posts contained here are submitted with a mind to brevity. And while the editing seems to sequence articles to their subject matter, there is no price paid for jumping around. Francis Bacon said that imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is. This book looks not only to what we might become but to what we might not become. If all this sounds too foreboding--too George Jetson, take conciliation in one of the book's observation that a noteworthy technology that actually has made a noticeable difference in all our lives is --- the tractor.
March 6, 2010
An orange, puffed cheese flavored product.
“Nobody ever voted for printing. Nobody ever voted for electricity. Nobody ever voted for radio, the telephone, the automobile, the airplane, television. Nobody ever voted for penicillin, antibiotics, the Pill. Nobody ever voted for space travel, massively parallel computing, nuclear power, the personal computer, the Internet, email, cell phones, the Web, Google, cloning, sequencing the entire human genome.”
That from the preface; would that the volume proceeded from there. Sadly, a more representative passage:
“As we learn from 3.5 billion years of evolution, we will convert billions of years into decades and change not only how we view life but life itself." (J. Craig Venter)
February 9, 2011
I would not recommend reading this book in a week. The numerous brief essays are much more suited for a "one-per-day" approach, giving the reader (at least this one) time to appreciate the material presented.
I enjoyed many of the essays and the broad range of topics covered. Overall, I came away with a feeling that they were too frequent and too brief. However, I will be digging deeper into the works of several authors.
In the end, I would recommend this collection and have specific plans to so. I may even revisit and reread it at a much slower pace myself.
I enjoyed many of the essays and the broad range of topics covered. Overall, I came away with a feeling that they were too frequent and too brief. However, I will be digging deeper into the works of several authors.
In the end, I would recommend this collection and have specific plans to so. I may even revisit and reread it at a much slower pace myself.
January 14, 2017
Quite literally one of the best books I've read. I am alternately thrilled and optimistic, and glum and despairing, when I think about all the astonishingly clever ideas put forward in TWCEverything. One thing is certain ... from it I will glean many more authors whose work to pursue and likely a bad case of RSI from many, many internet searches to find out if any of the ideas suggested in 2009 have been realised in the intervening eight years.
November 9, 2011
Good views from a variety of thinkers. There is a reference to a website www.edge.org that has more of a collection of questions that are answered by lots of smart people and other books like this one.
April 22, 2022
Scott Sampson แห่งมหาวิทยาลัยยูทาห์บอกว่า "วิวัฒนาการคือความคิดทางวิทยาศาสตร์ที่จะเปลี่ยนทุกสิ่งภายในไม่กี่ทศวรรษข้างหน้า," J. Craig Venter บอกว่าการที่เราสามารถเขียน software ของชีวิตขึ้นมาใหม่เพื่อชี้นำให้สิ่งมีชีวิตหรืออวัยวะดำเนินการหรือประมวลผลดังที่เราต้องการนี่แหละที่จะเปลี่ยนทุกสิ่ง, Paul Zachary Myers แห่งมหาวิทยาลัย Minnesota บอกว่าจะมีการปฏิวัติอย่างน้อยอีกสองเรื่อง คือ ใน developmental biology กับ neuroscience (คนนี้เขาเชื่อว่า mind หรือจิตใจเป็นผลผลิตของสมองครับ), Sherry Turkle นักจิตวิทยาจาก MIT บอกว่านึกถึง "robotic moment" หมายถึงห้วงขณะที่คนเรามีความผูกพันสัมพันธ์กับหุ่นยนต์ โดยเริ่มจากสถานะ "better than nothing" สู่ "better than something," Paul Saffo บอกว่า "การค้นพบสิ่งมีชีวิตที่ทรงภูมิปัญญาที่ไม่ใช่มนุษย์" จะเปลี่ยนทุกสิ่ง, Irene Pepperberg บอกว่า "ความรู้เกี่ยวกับการทำงานของสมองแบบจริง ๆ จะเปลี่ยนทุกสิ่งทุกอย่าง," Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster บอกว่าการย่อขนาดตัวเราเหมือนหนังปี 57 เรื่อง The Incredible Shrinking Man จะเปลี่ยนแปลงทุกสิ่ง, Lewis Wolpert ศาสตราจารย์ชีววิทยา University College ลอนดอนบอกว่าการคำนวณเอมบริโอสิจะเปลี่ยนทุกสิ่งทุกอย่าง กล่าวคือสำหรับความรู้ปัจจุบันนี้ ถ้าให้จีโนมของไข่ เราไม่สามารถทำนายหนทางที่เอมบริโอจะเจริญเติบโตได้ เป็นตัวอย่างเล็กน้อยนะครับ หนังสือเล่มนี้รวบรวมคำตอบต่อคำถามเดียวกันของนักคิดแนวหน้า 125 คน
July 15, 2021
This is a book containing essays discussing scientific, sociological and technological predictions for the future but it was written in 2009 and I am reading it 12 years later - which is weird but not really a problem since, predictably, none of the predictions have yet come true. The thing is, creating the future takes time.
It's not really a book you read cover to cover unless you are weirdly anal about reading like me, but there are lots of really intriguing ideas and tidbits scattered throughout the essays that you'll want to highlight and revisit in a few years if certain advances are ever made. There are also some essays that are a snooze fest or a case of a scientist prognosticating very little with their thesaurus at full throttle so I'm only giving it 3 stars.
It's not really a book you read cover to cover unless you are weirdly anal about reading like me, but there are lots of really intriguing ideas and tidbits scattered throughout the essays that you'll want to highlight and revisit in a few years if certain advances are ever made. There are also some essays that are a snooze fest or a case of a scientist prognosticating very little with their thesaurus at full throttle so I'm only giving it 3 stars.
July 2, 2021
Similar sentiments to those I expressed years ago in a (much more thorough) review of This Explains Everything (though I'd have done so less snarkily in my older age ;-) : the ideas in these essays are amazing, though sometimes obscure, and the authorship is overwhelmingly male, overwhelmingly white, but engaging, creative, and brilliant. Each essay is a short jaunt through some scientific concept, often hypothetical, and so is best left some space to ruminate by consuming sparingly. But I do enjoy these Edge questions, one of John Brockman's enduring contributions to the propagation of thought.
April 7, 2018
I'm am 'ideas' person, so I loved that this book rallied together so many different thinkers to offer perspectives on life changing phenomena in their fields. It was a very fun and stimulating (albeit sometimes questionable) read.
March 31, 2020
I stopped reading after page 41. I don't know why the book is formatted the way it is. I expected more from it, like delving into ideas and research that supports the 'ideas' that will supposedly shape the future. It felt like just 1/2 to 4 page editorials.
May 30, 2017
the juan enrique and max tegmark ones spoke to me the most.
November 4, 2017
An interesting book - but also too long. I left wiser than I arrive.
July 28, 2020
A cheap idea but lots of prestigious contributors. Worth reviewing now 2020 to embarrass the original authors.
March 9, 2021
A very good introduction to revolutionary scientific ideas in the 21st century.
July 10, 2024
Nuspėju praeitį, varažiju, nuimu blogą akį. Kreiptis į Brokmaną.
Read
April 10, 2010(Accidentally left on an airplane, had to buy a new copy, took a bit longer to finish...)
Good stuff. Whereas Brockman's "Science At The Edge" had maybe a dozen or two longer, more in-depth essays, this work was a tapas menu of 1-5 page essays, all bite-sized, on what various Edge members thought would change everything. It was certainly slanted to what scientific/technological breakthrough would do that, but some writers found some more esoteric/creative ideas to introduce. There were several usual-suspects writing, but also some off-the-wall writers that came in from interesting angles.
This book was nice because it gave everything in bite-sized portions. An easy idea to ponder and look into further, most everyone has written full essays or volumes of books on their work, so anything could be studied at length. The earlier chapters were ok, but I found the last 1/4 of the book to have the best stuff, Brockman may have done that on purpose. Essays are grouped loosely into genres (biology section, nanotech section, etc), although they flow well from one to the next.
Good stuff. Whereas Brockman's "Science At The Edge" had maybe a dozen or two longer, more in-depth essays, this work was a tapas menu of 1-5 page essays, all bite-sized, on what various Edge members thought would change everything. It was certainly slanted to what scientific/technological breakthrough would do that, but some writers found some more esoteric/creative ideas to introduce. There were several usual-suspects writing, but also some off-the-wall writers that came in from interesting angles.
This book was nice because it gave everything in bite-sized portions. An easy idea to ponder and look into further, most everyone has written full essays or volumes of books on their work, so anything could be studied at length. The earlier chapters were ok, but I found the last 1/4 of the book to have the best stuff, Brockman may have done that on purpose. Essays are grouped loosely into genres (biology section, nanotech section, etc), although they flow well from one to the next.
September 28, 2015
Knyga susideda iš klausimo “Kas pakeis viską?” ir gausybės atsakymų į jį. Dalis jų yra įdomūs, įžvalgūs ir priverčiantys pamąstyti, pvz. atsakymai gauti iš: Richard Dawkins, Corey S. Powell, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Dimitar Sasselov, Geroge Dyson, Freeman Dyson, Haim Harari, Keith Devlin, A. Garrett Lisi, Austin Dacey, David Berreby, Carlo Rovelli. Kai Krause.
Gaila, tačiau likusios idėjos yra arba savaime suprantamos bei pasikartojančios arba elementarus papilstymas iš tuščio į kiaurą pasiremiant savo kaip profesionalo subjektyvia nuomone. Kaip pavyzdys galėtų būti ateities projektavimas remiantis dabartiniu Amerikos pavyzdžiu - kalbėti apie likusio pasaulio ateitį neišlindus iš savo drabužių spintos - mažų mažiausia neprofesionalu. Viską suplakus gauname statinę deguto su keliais šaukštais medaus. 1/5.
Kad nereikėtų gaišti laiko, pateikiu sutrumpintą atsakymų rinkinį į klausimą “Kas pakeis viską?”: Atrasta nauja gyvybės forma, skaitmeninė gyvybė, dirbtinis intelektas, smegenų skenavimas ir tobulinimas, nemirtingumas, klimato kaita, branduolinis ginklas, švietimas, niekas.
Gaila, tačiau likusios idėjos yra arba savaime suprantamos bei pasikartojančios arba elementarus papilstymas iš tuščio į kiaurą pasiremiant savo kaip profesionalo subjektyvia nuomone. Kaip pavyzdys galėtų būti ateities projektavimas remiantis dabartiniu Amerikos pavyzdžiu - kalbėti apie likusio pasaulio ateitį neišlindus iš savo drabužių spintos - mažų mažiausia neprofesionalu. Viską suplakus gauname statinę deguto su keliais šaukštais medaus. 1/5.
Kad nereikėtų gaišti laiko, pateikiu sutrumpintą atsakymų rinkinį į klausimą “Kas pakeis viską?”: Atrasta nauja gyvybės forma, skaitmeninė gyvybė, dirbtinis intelektas, smegenų skenavimas ir tobulinimas, nemirtingumas, klimato kaita, branduolinis ginklas, švietimas, niekas.
July 28, 2010
So... I checked this out of the library and only had time to get through a few of the essays. What seemed to be said in more than one (and an idea I've been coming across in different places) is that we as humans are going to have to change our way of thinking about humanity. Given that cloning, gene manipulation, and part-human/part-animal and part-human/part-machine combos are happening now, we should probably start loosening up on our definition of humanity and expand our ethics to include animals and humans that don't quite fit the 100% "human" definition, whether that means they've had hip replacement surgery or microchips embedded in their brains or an ear that was grown on the back of a mouse in a lab. After mulling this idea for a few months, I watched "Bicentennial Man" (Robin Williams plays a robot with human motivations and creativity) and thought about it some more.
March 21, 2011
I'm still somewhere in the first quarter and I'm not going to return to this book.
Each time, I picked it up I read an essay or two, but somehow, I can't make myself read more of them. When buying, I've expected something more coherent, not a collection of short essays. But they're probably not even essays. Each "chapter" is only a few pages long, so they are very shallow and usually there's nothing to think about, no interesting arguments to support it, many of them does not try to view the problem from different perspectives. Overall, it was just boring and not worth my time.
Each time, I picked it up I read an essay or two, but somehow, I can't make myself read more of them. When buying, I've expected something more coherent, not a collection of short essays. But they're probably not even essays. Each "chapter" is only a few pages long, so they are very shallow and usually there's nothing to think about, no interesting arguments to support it, many of them does not try to view the problem from different perspectives. Overall, it was just boring and not worth my time.
August 3, 2011
Enjoyable "convenient" read.
It's set up in a series of some short, some a little longer essay-type readings; making it easy for busy people like myself who may only have 5-10 minutes to sit down and read something thoughtful, but quick.
Some essays are worth reading, discussing, and thinking about; others, although well-written, seem like the ideas were simply thrown together, making your mind leap to some pretty out-there ideas.
I recommend it for busy people who still want to indulge in a little "brain candy" now and then.
It's set up in a series of some short, some a little longer essay-type readings; making it easy for busy people like myself who may only have 5-10 minutes to sit down and read something thoughtful, but quick.
Some essays are worth reading, discussing, and thinking about; others, although well-written, seem like the ideas were simply thrown together, making your mind leap to some pretty out-there ideas.
I recommend it for busy people who still want to indulge in a little "brain candy" now and then.
June 2, 2013
Knjiga brojnim znanstvenicima/tehnolozima postavlja jedno jednostavno pitanje: "Što će promijeniti sve u budućnosti?". Ideja je sjajna,postaviti nekim od najvećih umova današnjice isto pitanje i gledati njihove odgovore. Moj problem s ovom knjigom leži u tome što je jednostavno previše osoba odgovaralo na pitanje (njih oko 130), tako da je svatko dobio po max. 3 stranice da se izrazi što je u svakom slučaju nedovoljno, kada bi broj smanjili na 30 ljudi koji mogu detaljnije razviti svoju viziju, posao bi bio znatno bolje odrađen.
Ocjena: 2,5/5
Ocjena: 2,5/5
November 29, 2011
Here is a very interesting book, the collection of short essays by the prominent scientists, who contemplate the future of humanity. At the end the some of the possible scenarios for the future made me really depressed. There are so many ways that we can destroy ourselves, the planet, the climate, our biology that the optimistic outcomes are pale in comparison. Regardless the pessimism, the book is full of amazing ideas and opens wide horizons into the possible futures
May 28, 2014
This is such a great collection of essays and such a great idea for a collection it is hard to start.
Simply going out to such a list of scientists, thinkers, artists and business people with the simple question "what would change everything?" is smart. Keeping the answers short is smarter. Being able to then group them by discipline since people do like to talk about what they know makes it really work.
I like being able to snack on ideas when you need some intellectual inspiration.
Simply going out to such a list of scientists, thinkers, artists and business people with the simple question "what would change everything?" is smart. Keeping the answers short is smarter. Being able to then group them by discipline since people do like to talk about what they know makes it really work.
I like being able to snack on ideas when you need some intellectual inspiration.
March 29, 2012
Having read the book, the third biggest predictions of what will change the word are computers, genetics, and aliens. I was particularly disappointed in several of the contributions that were a sentence long, I'm looking at you, Gerald Holton. All in all, an interesting book that's worth skimming over, seeing as how many of the contributions are repetitive.
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