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The Skeptics' Guide to the Future by Steven Novella with Bob Novella & Jay Novella

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The Skeptics' Guide to the Future

Publisher
Hodder & Stoughton
Publish Date
27 September 2022
Run Time
13 hours 51 minutes
Format
Audiobook

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What to expect

From the bestselling authors and hosts of 'The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe' a high-tech roadmap of the future in their beloved voice, cracking open both the follies of futurists past and how technology will profoundly change our world moving forward.
__________

Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the '60s, which didn't anticipate the sexual revolution or women's liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations.

The best we can do is try to absorb from futurism's checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better.

In The Skeptics' Guide To The Future, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. By exploring the pitfalls of each era, they give their own speculations about the distant future, transformed by unbelievable technology ranging from genetic manipulation to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Applying their trademark skepticism, they carefully extrapolate upon each scientific development, leaving no stone unturned as they lay out a vision for the future of tomorrow.
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(P) 2022 Hachette Audio

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Details

Author
Steven Novella with Bob Novella & Jay Novella
Narrator
Steven Novella
Duration
13 hours 51 minutes
Release Date
27 September 2022
ISBN
9781399706728
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Hodder & Stoughton
Genre
Social forecasting, future studies, Popular science, Impact of science and technology on society

Synopsis

From the bestselling authors and hosts of 'The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe' a high-tech roadmap of the future in their beloved voice, cracking open both the follies of futurists past and how technology will profoundly change our world moving forward.__________Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the '60s, which didn't anticipate the sexual revolution or women's liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations.The best we can do is try to absorb from futurism's checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better.In The Skeptics' Guide To The Future, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. By exploring the pitfalls of each era, they give their own speculations about the distant future, transformed by unbelievable technology ranging from genetic manipulation to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Applying their trademark skepticism, they carefully extrapolate upon each scientific development, leaving no stone unturned as they lay out a vision for the future of tomorrow.__________(P) 2022 Hachette Audio

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