"Against Utopia: Technology Won't Save Us" is a thought-provoking book that delves into the potential pitfalls and limitations of various technological advancements that are often hailed as solutions to humanity's problems. Authored by a renowned futurist and philosopher, this book challenges the prevailing narrative of a utopian future driven by metaverses, driverless cars, AI, BTC, NFTs, cryptocurrencies, biogenetics, and the Singularity. Through a series of deep reflections, the author argues that while these technologies hold immense promise, they are not infallible or guaranteed to bring about a perfect world. Instead, they are subject to human biases, ethical dilemmas, and unintended consequences that need to be carefully considered. The book explores the concept of metaverses, virtual worlds where people can live, work, and interact in a digital realm. While acknowledging the potential benefits of metaverses, the author raises concerns about their impact on social interactions, privacy, and the blurring boundaries between the real and virtual worlds. In the realm of transportation, the author critically examines driverless cars. While acknowledging the potential for enhanced safety and convenience, they delve into the ethical dilemmas posed by autonomous vehicles and their impact on employment, urban planning, and the environment. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is another technology discussed extensively. The book addresses the implications of AI on various aspects of society, including job displacement, privacy, bias, and the potential for autonomous decision-making systems to challenge human agency and responsibility. The author further explores the rise of cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and their underlying blockchain technology. While recognizing their disruptive potential, the book scrutinizes the environmental impact, market volatility, and regulatory challenges associated with these digital assets. Biogenetics, the field of genetic engineering and modification, is also examined. The book explores the ethical and moral dilemmas surrounding genetic manipulation, including concerns about eugenics, inequality, and the potential for unintended consequences in altering the very fabric of life. Lastly, the book delves into the concept of the Singularity, a hypothetical point in the future when AI surpasses human intelligence. While acknowledging the possibilities, the author highlights the importance of approaching this concept with caution and ensuring adequate safeguards to prevent the loss of human control and autonomy. "Against Utopia" challenges the prevailing techno-optimistic narratives by offering a nuanced and critical perspective on these emerging technologies. It encourages readers to engage in thoughtful discussions and make informed decisions about the future of our society, mindful of the potential risks and limitations associated with these advancements.

Nanotechnology! Genetic engineering! Miracle Drugs! We are promised that new technological developments will magically save us from the dire consequences of the 300-year fossil-fueled binge known as modern industrial civilization, without demanding any fundamental changes in our behavior. There is a pervasive belief that technological innovation will enable us to continue our current lifestyle indefinitely and will prevent social, economic and environmental collapse. Techno-Fix shows that negative unintended consequences of technology are inherently predictable and unavoidable, techno-optimism is completely unjustified, and modern technology, in the presence of continued economic growth, does not promote sustainability, but hastens collapse. The authors demonstrate that most technological solutions to social and technology-created problems are ineffective. They explore the reasons for the uncritical acceptance of new technologies, show who really controls the direction of technological change, and then advocate extensive reform. This comprehensive exposé is a powerful argument for why we can and should put the genie back in the bottle. An insightful and powerful critique, it is required reading for anyone who is concerned about blind techno-optimism and believes that the time has come to make science and technology more socially and environmentally responsible. For more information, please visit technofix.org .

The author of The Long Emergency explains why technology can’t solve all our problems, and how excessive optimism can endanger our future. The Long Emergency quickly became a grassroots hit, offering a shocking vision of our post-oil future and capturing the attention of environmentalists and business leaders alike. As discussion about our dependence on fossil fuels and our dysfunctional financial and government institutions continues, the author returns with Too Much Magic—evaluating what has changed and what has not, and what direction we need to take in this post-financial-crisis world. “Too much magic” is what James Howard Kunstler sees in the bright utopian visions of the future dreamed up by optimistic souls who believe technology will solve all our problems. Their visions remind him of the flying cars and robot maids that were the dominant images of the future in the 1950s. Kunstler’s image of the future is much more sober. With vision, clarity of thought, and a pragmatic worldview, Kunstler argues that the time for magical thinking and hoping for miracles is over—and the time to begin preparing for the long emergency has begun. “A sharp critic of energy-sucking, big-box landscapes.” —Winnipeg Free Press

Porchlight’s Management and Workplace Culture Book of The Year “[A] thoroughly fascinating exploration of the long interplay between power and the technologies of communication.” —Adam Frank, NPR Team Human is a manifesto—a fiery distillation of preeminent digital theorist Douglas Rushkoff’s most urgent thoughts on civilization and human nature. In one hundred lean and incisive statements, he argues that we are essentially social creatures, and that we achieve our greatest aspirations when we work together—not as individuals. Yet today society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect. Money, once a means of exchange, is now a means of exploitation; education, conceived as way to elevate the working class, has become another assembly line; and the internet has only further divided us into increasingly atomized and radicalized groups. Team Human delivers a call to arms. If we are to resist and survive these destructive forces, we must recognize that being human is a team sport. In Rushkoff’s own words: “Being social may be the whole point.” Harnessing wide-ranging research on human evolution, biology, and psychology, Rushkoff shows that when we work together we realize greater happiness, productivity, and peace. If we can find the others who understand this fundamental truth and reassert our humanity—together—we can make the world a better place to be human.

Universal basic income. A 15-hour workweek. Open borders. Does it sound too good to be true? One of Europe's leading young thinkers shows how we can build an ideal world today. "A more politically radical Malcolm Gladwell." -- New York Times After working all day at jobs we often dislike, we buy things we don't need. Rutger Bregman, a Dutch historian, reminds us it needn't be this way -- and in some places it isn't. Rutger Bregman's TED Talk about universal basic income seemed impossibly radical when he delivered it in 2014. A quarter of a million views later, the subject of that video is being seriously considered by leading economists and government leaders the world over. It's just one of the many utopian ideas that Bregman proves is possible today. Utopia for Realists is one of those rare books that takes you by surprise and challenges what you think can happen. From a Canadian city that once completely eradicated poverty, to Richard Nixon's near implementation of a basic income for millions of Americans, Bregman takes us on a journey through history, and beyond the traditional left-right divides, as he champions ideas whose time have come. Every progressive milestone of civilization -- from the end of slavery to the beginning of democracy -- was once considered a utopian fantasy. Bregman's book, both challenging and bracing, demonstrates that new utopian ideas, like the elimination of poverty and the creation of the fifteen-hour workweek, can become a reality in our lifetime. Being unrealistic and unreasonable can in fact make the impossible inevitable, and it is the only way to build the ideal world.

The award-winning author of The Net Delusion shows how the radical transparency we've become accustomed to online may threaten the spirit of real-life democracy

The climate change is coming. To prepare for it, we need to admit that we can’t prevent it.