Darwin8u's Reviews > Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
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“Every day millions of people decide to grant their smartphone a bit more control over their lives or try a new and more effective antidepressant drug. In pursuit of health, happiness and power, humans will gradually change first one of their features and then another, and another, until they will no longer be human.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Harari takes us, with this continuation to his blockbuster book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, from the past to the future. This book shares a lot of the same limitations of the previous book. But because "speculation" is inherent in writing about the future, Harari's jumps are easier to forgive when talking about tomorrow than when talking about today.
I'm a diabetic and have an insulin pump and I've thought of myself, only partially in jest, as a early, unsophisticated, cyborg the last ten years. I walk around with my iphone plugged into my ears, my artificial pancreas plugged into my thigh, my sensor for my pump plugged into my stomach. It isn't very neat. We have miles to go before all of this technology becomes aesthetically amazing, and loses all the wires and clunky functionality, but it still gives me pause about the future. My friend's Tesla drives by itself, big data seems able to predict what I will buy next, my smart phone really is smart. Perhaps we are all surfing towards some Omega Point.
I have a friend who is a Transhumanist and it has been interesting to hear him discuss the values and virtues of Transhumanism. I'm a little more hesitant. I'm no Luddite, but I DO worry about these big technological/cultural/commercial shifts. Will technology make Homo Sapiens the next Homo Neanderthalensis? Will these gains through AI, technology, genetic modification, etc., be well-thought-out? Harari hedges by saying he doesn't know what the future brings (If he did, perhaps we should just join his church), but is only using this discussion to suggest the type of ethical and moral and even survival discussions we SHOULD probably be having. As we incrementally crawl towards some form of technological singularity, perhaps we need to give pause to not just the benefits, but costs of self-driving cars and sex robots.
― Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
Harari takes us, with this continuation to his blockbuster book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, from the past to the future. This book shares a lot of the same limitations of the previous book. But because "speculation" is inherent in writing about the future, Harari's jumps are easier to forgive when talking about tomorrow than when talking about today.
I'm a diabetic and have an insulin pump and I've thought of myself, only partially in jest, as a early, unsophisticated, cyborg the last ten years. I walk around with my iphone plugged into my ears, my artificial pancreas plugged into my thigh, my sensor for my pump plugged into my stomach. It isn't very neat. We have miles to go before all of this technology becomes aesthetically amazing, and loses all the wires and clunky functionality, but it still gives me pause about the future. My friend's Tesla drives by itself, big data seems able to predict what I will buy next, my smart phone really is smart. Perhaps we are all surfing towards some Omega Point.
I have a friend who is a Transhumanist and it has been interesting to hear him discuss the values and virtues of Transhumanism. I'm a little more hesitant. I'm no Luddite, but I DO worry about these big technological/cultural/commercial shifts. Will technology make Homo Sapiens the next Homo Neanderthalensis? Will these gains through AI, technology, genetic modification, etc., be well-thought-out? Harari hedges by saying he doesn't know what the future brings (If he did, perhaps we should just join his church), but is only using this discussion to suggest the type of ethical and moral and even survival discussions we SHOULD probably be having. As we incrementally crawl towards some form of technological singularity, perhaps we need to give pause to not just the benefits, but costs of self-driving cars and sex robots.
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Reading Progress
March 17, 2017
–
Started Reading
March 17, 2017
– Shelved
March 24, 2017
– Shelved as:
2017
March 24, 2017
–
Finished Reading
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anyway enjoy reading it and i hope we get the chance to read your review o..."
Yeah, after reading a boo-a-day for about the first 50 days of Trump's administration and the first 70 days of the year, I took a bit of a break from reading this week (Spring break?). I look to finish this book today or tomorrow.
Harari brings up a couple things to consider that resonated with me:
1. Class - the ability for one group to extend life, alter genes, etc., because they have access to the capital to do so. Think of healthcare haves and have-not extended in a huge way from preventative to enhancement.
2. Control - the loss of control, and perhaps the creation of another class of living species all together that is beyond Homo Sapiens. Whether it is AI, cyborg, or gene-enhanced. We have introduced a "new" species that might eventual see homo sapiens as competition and a threat.
Of course, all of this axiety is old hat if you read a lot of Philip K. Dick.
I go back and forth. It depends on if I currently hate Gladwell or not. It really isn't anything shocking or super-revelatory, but it certainly is interesting. Glossily so. Literally. The pages seem like the weight and gloss of Wired or Interview's magazine pages. Anyway, it isn't going to hurt your brain. But depending on where you get it from it might not be worth full price either.
anyway enjoy reading it and i hope we get the chance to read your review on this book