Knowledge and Information: The Potential and Peril of Human Intelligence

by Martin Ingvar (Editor)

Cultural historians from the arts and sciences debate the history of information exchange in the era of surveillance capitalism In this volume, leading scholars in the arts and sciences discuss how information has been transmitted throughout history. It addresses the multiple challenges of the digital age, particularly with regard to our personal data. Amid growing tension between a “cognitive elite” and those excluded from public discourse and decision-making, editors Kurt Almqvist and Mattias Hessérus will our information society turn out to be an era of enlightenment or are we entering a new dark age for knowledge?
Contributors include : Erica Benner, Gill Bennett, Maria Borelius, Peter Burke, Nicholas Carr, Christopher Coker, Peter Frankopan, Jessica Frazier, David Goodhart, Michael Goodman, Janne Haaland Matláry, John Hemming, Suzana Herculano-Houzel, Martin Ingvar, Andrew Keen, Elisabeth Kendall, Claire Lehmann, Iain Martin, Simon Mayall, Richard Miles, Fraser Nelson, Brendan O’Neill, Mark Pagel, Mark Plotkin, Nathan Shachar, Mariano Sigman, M. Antoni J. Ucerler and Adrian Wooldridge.

Genres: Nonfiction

352 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2021

Reviews

[El Hinton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I purchased this book rather hastily, without being able to flick through it, since it was in cellophane. After reading several chapters, it was clear that the book is a cover to cover denunciation of many aspects of modern life, such as diversity, mental health awareness, anti-racism and employment quotas. Moreover, the many authors are universal in creating a mere ageist stereotype of the young millennial, speaking out in favour of the aforementioned issues. Overall, it feels like the authors’ way of letting off steam, not real academic discourse. The titles of each chapter indicate that they will be rich and interesting, but they just turn out to be just another tired verbiage in a similar vein to the last.

[Ruben Dhondt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quality work from a number of prominent filosofers, historians, journalists, political scientists, theologians,...
But thete is no overarching story. It is just a lose collection of papers, articles and book chapters. There is no linking of these different idea and theories. No comparisons, no analysis... Just a collection of writing about a certain topic. Could have been so much more.

[matt hooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was no real overarching story or point to this other than it being a collection of journal articles that vaguely discuss similar concepts. A number of the reputable scholars seem fixated on belittling, criticising, and dismissing the younger generation without discussing the issues in a wider context or in an intersectional way.

[Hanaa Fallatah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75