The first person who will live to be 150 years old has already been born. The screen that we peer into will soon be within us. We could soon be taking happiness pills before breakfast. The perfect partner might need to be charged before bed. This is a new world we are walking into. And the man who began this journey won't be the man who ends this journey. Where Will Man Take Us? explores the changes technology is bringing about in us-as a society and as a species. What will the next generation turn into, what will it be like, how will the new Adam and Eve live and love? In this book, Atul Jalan tackles nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, quantum computing and genetics, seamlessly weaving the future of technology with the changing dynamics of human love, morality and ethics.
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Great book! Its central theme is that the world around us is changing rapidly and the rate of the change is exponentially accelerating (much like our universe) and soon enough we could find ourselves either to be an entirely new species and become immortal by one way or another, or become extinct altogether, wiped by an ‘efficient' ASI (artificial super intelligence) which no longer regards us as useful. In short, the author believes that ‘singularity' is upon us and we should be ready (if that's even possible).
The book starts with a brief historical narrative about the evolution of life & then of technology. Then it goes on to discuss in some detail about AI and its nature, nano-technology, genetics, artificial intelligence, blockchain and the power of data etc., and how all of these combined are going to radically transform our lives for better or for worse. The author explores the likely impact on different areas of our day to day life vis-à-vis health, finance, jobs, sex & relationships, privacy, ethics etc. and tries to show what the future may look like after things such as bio-engineering, artifcial selection through DNA manipulation, happiness pills, AI life-partners become commonplace. He argues that as we move towards transhumanism, new Gods will replace the older ones and ‘dataism' is most likely going to be our new religion (the Yuval Noah Harari argument).
There is also a small chapter about Maths, its conspicuous relationship with arts, and its magical ability to recognise patterns even at the most unlikely of places. The age old debate of “does math objectively exist, or is it a human creation?” is also discussed.
The book, due to its nature, briefly touches upon various scientific as well as philosophical concepts such as the dual nature of sub-atomic particles, quantum entanglement, Fermi's paradox, origin of our consciousness, the nature of reality (are we living in a simulation? Or in a holographic projection?), Advaita Vedānta etc.; and this makes it an even more interesting read. Quotes from renowned personalities like Bertrand Russel, Roger Penrose, Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, Isaac Asimov, Adux Huxley, Erwin Schrödinger also add to the fun.
All in all, if you are a curious being you will definitely like this book.
