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Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social research & statistics > Social forecasting, futurology
'A fascinating book . . . Bhaskar is a reassuringly positive and
often witty guide' Observer 'A fascinating, must-read book covering
a vast array of topics from the arts to the sciences, technology to
policy. This is a brilliant and thought-provoking response to one
of the most critical questions of our age: how we will come up with
the next generation of innovation and truly fresh ideas?' Mustafa
Suleyman, cofounder of DeepMind and Google VP 'Have "big ideas" and
big social and economic changes disappeared from the scene? Michael
Bhaskar's Human Frontiers is the best look at these all-important
questions.' Tyler Cowen, author of The Great Stagnation and The
Complacent Class 'Michael Bhaskar explores the disturbing
possibility that a complacent, cautious civilization has lost
ambition and is slowly sinking into technological stagnation rather
than accelerating into a magical future. He is calling for bold,
adventurous innovators to go big again. A fascinating book' Matt
Ridley, author of How Innovation Works Where next for humanity? Is
our future one of endless improvement in all areas of life, from
technology and travel to medicine, movies and music? Or are our
best years behind us? It's easy to assume that the story of modern
society is one of consistent, radical progress, but this is no
longer true: more academics are researching than ever before but
their work leads to fewer breakthroughs; innovation is incremental,
limited to the digital sphere; the much-vaunted cure for cancer
remains elusive; space travel has stalled since the heady era of
the moonshot; politics is stuck in a rut, and the creative
industries seem trapped in an ongoing cycle of rehashing genres and
classics. The most ambitious ideas now struggle. Our
great-great-great grandparents saw a series of transformative ideas
revolutionise almost everything in just a few decades. Today, in
contrast, short termism, risk aversion, and fractious decision
making leaves the landscape timid and unimaginative. In Human
Frontiers, Michael Bhaskar draws a vividly entertaining and
expansive portrait of humanity's relationship with big ideas. He
argues that stasis at the frontier is the result of having already
pushed so far, taken easy wins and started to hit limits. But new
thinking is still possible. By adopting bold global approaches,
deploying cutting edge technology like AI and embracing a culture
of change, we can push through and expand afresh. Perfect for
anyone who has wondered why we haven't gone further, this book
shows in fascinating detail how the 21st century could stall - or
be the most revolutionary time in human history.
The bold futurist and bestselling author of The Singularity is
Nearer explores the limitless potential of reverse-engineering the
human brain Ray Kurzweil is arguably today's most influential-and
often controversial-futurist. In How to Create a Mind, Kurzweil
presents a provocative exploration of the most important project in
human-machine civilization-reverse engineering the brain to
understand precisely how it works and using that knowledge to
create even more intelligent machines. Kurzweil discusses how the
brain functions, how the mind emerges from the brain, and the
implications of vastly increasing the powers of our intelligence in
addressing the world's problems. He thoughtfully examines emotional
and moral intelligence and the origins of consciousness and
envisions the radical possibilities of our merging with the
intelligent technology we are creating. Certain to be one of the
most widely discussed and debated science books of the year, How to
Create a Mind is sure to take its place alongside Kurzweil's
previous classics which include Fantastic Voyage: Live Long Enough
to Live Forever and The Age of Spiritual Machines.
Presents thirty novel terms that do not yet exist in English to
envision ways of responding to the environmental challenges of our
generation As the scale and gravity of climate change becomes
undeniable, a cultural revolution must ultimately match progress in
the realms of policy, infrastructure, and technology. Proceeding
from the notion that dominant Western cultures lack the terms and
concepts to describe or respond to our environmental crisis, An
Ecotopian Lexicon is a collaborative volume of short, engaging
essays that offer ecologically productive terms-drawn from other
languages, science fiction, and subcultures of resistance-to
envision and inspire responses and alternatives to fossil-fueled
neoliberal capitalism. Each of the thirty suggested "loanwords"
helps us imagine how to adapt and even flourish in the face of the
socioecological adversity that characterizes the present moment and
the future that awaits. From "Apocalypso" to "Qi," " ~*~ " to
"Total Liberation," thirty authors from a range of disciplines and
backgrounds assemble a grounded yet dizzying lexicon, expanding the
limited European and North American conceptual lexicon that many
activists, educators, scholars, students, and citizens have
inherited. Fourteen artists from eleven countries respond to these
chapters with original artwork that illustrates the contours of the
possible better worlds and worldviews. Contributors: Sofia Ahlberg,
Uppsala U; Randall Amster, Georgetown U; Cherice Bock, Antioch U;
Charis Boke, Cornell U; Natasha Bowdoin, Rice U; Kira Bre Clingen,
Harvard U; Caledonia Curry (SWOON); Lori Damiano, Pacific Northwest
College of Art; Nicolas De Jesus; Jonathan Dyck; John Esposito,
Chukyo U; Rebecca Evans, Winston-Salem State U; Allison Ford, U of
Oregon; Carolyn Fornoff, U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
Michelle Kuen Suet Fung; Andrew Hageman, Luther College; Michael
Horka, George Washington U; Yellena James; Andrew Alan Johnson,
Princeton U; Jennifer Lee Johnson, Purdue U; Melody Jue, U of
California, Santa Barbara; Jenny Kendler; Daehyun Kim (Moonassi);
Yifei Li, NYU Shanghai; Nikki Lindt; Anthony Lioi, Juilliard School
of New York; Maryanto; Janet Tamalik McGrath; Pierre-Heli Monot,
Ludwig Maximilian U of Munich; Kari Marie Norgaard, U of Oregon;
Karen O'Brien, U of Oslo, Norway; Evelyn O'Malley, U of Exeter;
Robert Savino Oventile, Pasadena City College; Chris Pak; David N.
Pellow, U of California, Santa Barbara; Andrew Pendakis, Brock U;
Kimberly Skye Richards, U of California, Berkeley; Ann Kristin
Schorre, U of Oslo, Norway; Malcolm Sen, U of Massachusetts
Amherst; Kate Shaw; Sam Solnick, U of Liverpool; Rirkrit
Tiravanija, Columbia U; Miriam Tola, Northeastern U; Sheena Wilson,
U of Alberta; Daniel Worden, Rochester Institute of Technology.
Seymour W. Itzkoff is one of the world's leading intelligence
researchers. His exciting new book Our Unfinished Biological
Revolution offers a bold and highly original new study on the
evolution of human intelligence from the origin of life to our
times. With the help of evolutionary theory, Itzkoff explains the
nature of human intelligence as we know it today. Most importantly,
it demonstrates that evolution led to the rise of what intelligence
researchers call the general intelligence factor: the human ability
to plan ahead and solve problems for which natural selection did
not prepare us. The book also argues that humans vary in
intelligence (as with all traits shaped by Darwinian evolution),
and hence in their propensity to think abstractly and anticipate
long-term consequences of their actions. Our Unfinished Biological
Revolution explores the social implications of these two factors as
they unfold in modern technological societies, in which
intelligence plays an increasingly important role. Finally, the
book argues that human intelligence may offer our best hope in
solving the daunting problems of the present era?including
population growth, the exhaustion of natural resources, and the
rise of simplistic and devastating ideologies.
Sustainable Work in Europe brings together a strong core of Swedish
working life research, with additional contributions from across
Europe, and discussion of current issues such as digitalisation,
climate change and the Covid pandemic. It bridges gaps between
social science and medicine, and adds emphasis on age and gender.
The book links workplace practice, theory and policy, and is
intended to provide the basis for ongoing debate and dialogue.
'Klaus Schwab and the World Economic Forum contribute significantly
to one of the most important issues of our time-how to move forward
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution' -Jack Ma, Executive Chairman,
Alibaba Group World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman
Klaus Schwab offers a practical companion and field guide to his
previous book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Today, technology
is changing everything-how we relate to one another, the way we
work, how our economies and governments function, and even what it
means to be human. Incredible advances-from cryptocurrencies to AI
to the internet of things-are already transforming society in
unprecedented ways. But the Fourth Industrial Revolution is still
in its infancy, says Schwab, and at a time of such tremendous
uncertainty and change, it's our actions that will determine the
trajectory the future will take. Drawing on contributions from 200
top experts in fields ranging from machine learning to
geo-engineering to nanotechnology, to data ethics, Schwab equips
readers with the practical tools to leverage the technologies of
the future to leave the world better, safer, and more resilient
than we found it. 'The technologies of the Fourth Industrial
Revolution are extraordinary. Leadership has to be equally
extraordinary to manage the complexities of systemic change' - Eric
Schmidt, Technical Advisor, Alphabet
_______ 'Excellent' Martin Wolf, Financial Times Books of the Year
'Essential' Daniel Pink, author of Drive 'Wonderful' Martin Ford,
author of The Rise of the Robots _______ Profit. Innovation. Greed.
Welcome to the gig economy. Between Uber drivers and Airbnb hosts,
freelance jobs are becoming an increasingly prominent part of our
economy. Gigged goes inside the Silicon Valley companies leading
the way to this emerging 'gig economy'. It tells the stories of the
workers - from computer programmers to online comment moderators -
who are getting by in a new wave of precarious, short-term
employment. And it sketches out what tomorrow's economy might look
like: one where the fortunate get to work when they want, how they
want, while the rest live lives of extraordinary hardship. It might
just be the future of work for all of us. *Longlisted for the
FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award* Praise for Gigged
'Well researched and beautifully written . . . Essential reading
for anyone who is interested in understanding the future of our
economy and society.' Ha-Joon Chang, author of 23 Things They Don't
Tell You About Capitalism 'Well crafted . . . a multitude of
anecdotes supported by data and extensive reporting.' Forbes
'Kessler's timely book explores the personal, corporate and
societal stories behind a massive tech-driven shift away from
permanent office-based employment.' Books of the Month, Financial
Times 'Kessler illuminates a great divide: For people with
desirable skills, the gig economy often permits a more engaging,
entrepreneurial lifestyle; but for the unskilled who turn to such
work out of necessity, it's merely "the best of bad options".'
Harvard Business Review 'Sarah Kessler writes like a dream. If you
want to know how work is changing and how you too must change to
keep up, you must read this book.' Dan Lyons, author of Disrupted
Drawing up alternate ways to "make a living" beyond capitalism To
live in this world is to be conditioned by capital. Once paired
with Western democracy, unfettered capitalism has led to a
shrinking economic system that squeezes out billions of
people-creating a planet of surplus populations. Wageless Life is a
manifesto for building a future beyond the toxic failures of
late-stage capitalism. Daring to imagine new social relations, new
modes of economic existence, and new collective worlds, the authors
provide skills and tools for perceiving-and living in- a
post-capitalist future. Forerunners: Ideas First Short books of
thought-in-process scholarship, where intense analysis,
questioning, and speculation take the lead
Internet entrepreneur Andrew Keen was among the earliest to write
about the dangers that the Internet poses to our culture and
society. His 2007 book The Cult of the Amateur was critical in
helping advance the conversation around the Internet, which has now
morphed from a tool providing efficiencies and opportunities for
consumers and business to a force that is profoundly reshaping our
societies and our world. In his new book, How to Fix the Future,
Keen focuses on what we can do about this seemingly intractable
situation. Looking to the past to learn how we might change our
future, he describes how societies tamed the excesses of the
Industrial Revolution, which, like its digital counterpart,
demolished long-standing models of living, ruined harmonious
environments and altered the business world beyond recognition.
Travelling across the globe, from India to Estonia, Germany to
Singapore, he investigates the best (and worst) practices in five
key areas - regulation, innovation, social responsibility, consumer
choice and education - and concludes by examining whether we are
seeing the beginning of the end of the America-centric digital
world. Powerful, urgent and deeply engaging, How to Fix the Future
vividly depicts what we must do if we are to try to preserve human
values in an increasingly digital world and what steps we might
take as societies and individuals to make the future something we
can again look forward to.
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Guillermo Calderon; Translated by William Gregory
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R316
Discovery Miles 3 160
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Ships in 12 - 17 working days
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Society is fuelled by anger; dissatisfaction shapes Twitter feeds,
online petitions and protest marches. But is that enough to bring
about change? Alejandra and Marcela are female anarchists,
nervously planning to plant bombs in the middle of the night. They
don't want violence. They just want to be heard. Prison's not much
of a threat when most of your friends are inside. Then they meet
Jose Miguel. He is from a different generation, a time when
revolution was ripe and activism alive, and he's committed to
change by any means possible.
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