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Technological Resurrection: A Thought Experiment
A thousand years ago, mankind thought the greatest thing technology would ever achieve would be crafting a stronger sword or a larger building. Flying? Mind reading? Virtual universes? These things were reserved for Gods and Heavens.
But now, with the 'singularity' only twenty years away, it has become clear that technology has no limits. And with science fiction becoming science fact and the miraculous becoming the mundane, perhaps the time has come to apply a new, scientific interpretation to events that we have always thought of as 'supernatural'.
Even the possibility of our afterlife itself.
Which is why this book dares to ask the taboo question, "What if the light at the end of that tunnel… is a technologically advanced future?"
'Technological Resurrection: A Thought Experiment' explores these questions and more as it gives us all a glimpse into our wild, new future, with insight, humor, and a dash of hope.
But now, with the 'singularity' only twenty years away, it has become clear that technology has no limits. And with science fiction becoming science fact and the miraculous becoming the mundane, perhaps the time has come to apply a new, scientific interpretation to events that we have always thought of as 'supernatural'.
Even the possibility of our afterlife itself.
Which is why this book dares to ask the taboo question, "What if the light at the end of that tunnel… is a technologically advanced future?"
'Technological Resurrection: A Thought Experiment' explores these questions and more as it gives us all a glimpse into our wild, new future, with insight, humor, and a dash of hope.
117 pages, Paperback
Published November 26, 2018
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21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 1, 2017
Technological Resurrection, A Thought Experiment by Jonathan A Jones was a welcome surprise to me. As a Singularitarian and futurist versed in concepts like "quantum archeology", mind-uploading etc. I didn't expect to hear something new. This book proved me totally wrong. Not only did the book provide me with a detailed historical background of Cosmism dating back to the 19th century, it also provided me with unusual variants of the theme I hadn't heard before. But the book is not written for insiders alone, in a later chapter you get the full-fledged overview of the present day prior art regarding Singularity, Terasem, Cosmism, Transhumanism etc. all explained in clear and understandable terminology, so that novices need not be scared away.
Jones builds bridges between religions and between religion and science, providing a syncretic and technologically sound plausible framework how our esoteric notions about heaven, hell, spirits, reincarnation, ufo's, aliens and time-travel could all fit within one and the same technological framework, which, if looked at from this logical perspective doesn't seem so far-fetched or so far away in the future anymore. His take on the Soul or Consciousness also deviates from the orthodox approach in this area, but actually does make a lot of sense (but I am not going to give away too much; it would spoil your reading). His point-of-view on the multi-worlds interpretation (MWI) is also different from Everett's and therefore also an unorthodox approach. Furthermore, Jones presents an interesting take on why his interpretation, even if speculative, matters and can influence the way we define our purpose and meaning in our lives. The book is moreover delightfully "enlightened" by fragments of fiction, which illustrate his ideas in oftentimes clearer ways than dry non-fiction explanations can. A worthwhile way to broaden your horizon on what might happen to you in the after-life and why that matters now.
Jones builds bridges between religions and between religion and science, providing a syncretic and technologically sound plausible framework how our esoteric notions about heaven, hell, spirits, reincarnation, ufo's, aliens and time-travel could all fit within one and the same technological framework, which, if looked at from this logical perspective doesn't seem so far-fetched or so far away in the future anymore. His take on the Soul or Consciousness also deviates from the orthodox approach in this area, but actually does make a lot of sense (but I am not going to give away too much; it would spoil your reading). His point-of-view on the multi-worlds interpretation (MWI) is also different from Everett's and therefore also an unorthodox approach. Furthermore, Jones presents an interesting take on why his interpretation, even if speculative, matters and can influence the way we define our purpose and meaning in our lives. The book is moreover delightfully "enlightened" by fragments of fiction, which illustrate his ideas in oftentimes clearer ways than dry non-fiction explanations can. A worthwhile way to broaden your horizon on what might happen to you in the after-life and why that matters now.
March 25, 2024
Kooky, accessible intro to the set of powerful ideologies that runs Silicon Valley, all major space programs, DARPA, etc. I appreciate that it overtly acknowledges the way transhumanism interacts with religion.
October 30, 2020
This book is my favourite.
March 21, 2018
Explores good ideas but needs rigorous development, revision, and editing
Having recently learned about this book on the Extropy Chat mailing list, I was eager to read it. And I'm glad I did because it captures some big ideas that are part of transhumanism today. Delving into topics as varied as quantum physics, time travel, spirituality, and morality, the writer clearly is excited about what he has to say. He even includes comparisons of his viewpoints with those in science fiction to help give readers a background grid through which to picture some of the more esoteric concepts.
One consequence of living in the digital age is that vanity publishing has become commonplace. I mean no offense to the author (who hails from my home state) and hope only to show him the tools that would serve him well in future books.
As much as I enjoyed the book on a conceptual level, it reads much like raw, unfiltered stream of consciousness. The text itself seems disjointed and is full of errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage, and typography. Hiring an editor would have helped the book be more cohesive. The lack of professional polish and development is evident. The errors are jarring and detract from the experience of reading what has the potential to be a thought-provoking essay. Sentence fragments, misused words (e.g., "flaunt" for "flout" and "phased" for "fazed"), and overused exclamation points abound (among other problems). The narrative feels forced, with far too many inappropriately casual side comments from the author interspersed. And if this were a blog post that people weren't asked to pay for, that would be another thing altogether.
On a more substantive level, the book alludes to scientific studies that the writer claims serve as proof of one point or another, yet the text doesn't formally cite any sources. Even if the author's goal was not to create a document backed up with reference sources, having a bibliography or "for further reading" list would have been helpful and lent some credibility. (The author does refer in passing to several books, movies, and people by name; I'm not talking about those instances.) The text also claims in various places that 99% of people believe in angels/spirits/demons/aliens and that 99% of people have reported such contacts. Clearly, he meant that most people on Earth have some concept of an afterlife or believe in aliens. But it seems as though "99%" is the default number writers use when they mean "most people," to say nothing of the lack of precision and accuracy in such statements. If you're going to call yourself a researcher, you have to be prepared to show your work.
The book's structure is formulaic; the writing, sophomoric. Weak, underdeveloped writing undermines its own message. But with the proper care, it could become a remarkable resource for transhumanism and for people who've begun to sense that science could save us. I applaud the writer for his vision and his courage in putting his work out for scrutiny, and I encourage him to continue. With time and practice, he'll only get better.
From the standpoint of highlighting essential ideas, the book is commendable—no question. Though almost entirely speculative, and consisting mostly of rehashed ideas already present elsewhere, it nonetheless fires the imagination. But between the careless errors, haphazard writing style, and lack of academic rigor, it loses credibility.
Having recently learned about this book on the Extropy Chat mailing list, I was eager to read it. And I'm glad I did because it captures some big ideas that are part of transhumanism today. Delving into topics as varied as quantum physics, time travel, spirituality, and morality, the writer clearly is excited about what he has to say. He even includes comparisons of his viewpoints with those in science fiction to help give readers a background grid through which to picture some of the more esoteric concepts.
One consequence of living in the digital age is that vanity publishing has become commonplace. I mean no offense to the author (who hails from my home state) and hope only to show him the tools that would serve him well in future books.
As much as I enjoyed the book on a conceptual level, it reads much like raw, unfiltered stream of consciousness. The text itself seems disjointed and is full of errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, usage, and typography. Hiring an editor would have helped the book be more cohesive. The lack of professional polish and development is evident. The errors are jarring and detract from the experience of reading what has the potential to be a thought-provoking essay. Sentence fragments, misused words (e.g., "flaunt" for "flout" and "phased" for "fazed"), and overused exclamation points abound (among other problems). The narrative feels forced, with far too many inappropriately casual side comments from the author interspersed. And if this were a blog post that people weren't asked to pay for, that would be another thing altogether.
On a more substantive level, the book alludes to scientific studies that the writer claims serve as proof of one point or another, yet the text doesn't formally cite any sources. Even if the author's goal was not to create a document backed up with reference sources, having a bibliography or "for further reading" list would have been helpful and lent some credibility. (The author does refer in passing to several books, movies, and people by name; I'm not talking about those instances.) The text also claims in various places that 99% of people believe in angels/spirits/demons/aliens and that 99% of people have reported such contacts. Clearly, he meant that most people on Earth have some concept of an afterlife or believe in aliens. But it seems as though "99%" is the default number writers use when they mean "most people," to say nothing of the lack of precision and accuracy in such statements. If you're going to call yourself a researcher, you have to be prepared to show your work.
The book's structure is formulaic; the writing, sophomoric. Weak, underdeveloped writing undermines its own message. But with the proper care, it could become a remarkable resource for transhumanism and for people who've begun to sense that science could save us. I applaud the writer for his vision and his courage in putting his work out for scrutiny, and I encourage him to continue. With time and practice, he'll only get better.
From the standpoint of highlighting essential ideas, the book is commendable—no question. Though almost entirely speculative, and consisting mostly of rehashed ideas already present elsewhere, it nonetheless fires the imagination. But between the careless errors, haphazard writing style, and lack of academic rigor, it loses credibility.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews