A book that proposes a philosophical revolution but offers mostly fun thought experiments.
A survey of the history and future of philosophy for the digital age.
Following the massive success of The Matrix, the film received considered analyses from many big-name philosophers. Among these was Chalmers, whose academic paper “The Matrixas Metaphysics” is one of the high-water marks of the field. That article initiated the author into the philosophy of virtual reality, a subject to which he returns in this ambitious and encyclopedic attempt to think through seemingly all of philosophy in light of increasingly rapid technological implications. To his credit, Chalmers, the co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness at NYU, injects new life into old philosophical problems via “technophilosophy,” a “combination of (1) asking philosophical questions about technology and (2) using technology to help answer traditional philosophical questions.” Arguments for God, the external world, utilitarianism, and many other concepts must be revisited if we take seriously the possibility that we could be living in a simulation. This is an emphatically contemporary work, and Chalmers seems overly enamored with the virtual; his speculation often reads like celebration. Advancing his view that the virtual is actually real, he writes, “artificiality of an environment is no bar to value. It’s true that some people value a natural environment, but this seems an optional value, and not one that makes the difference between a valuable and a valueless life.” The book is overstuffed with data of varying relevance—e.g., what percentage of professional philosophers holds which position, as if such numbers meant anything more than what is currently in fashion—and the author’s perambulations may appeal more to computer coders than philosophers. Oddly, Chalmers seems to assume that readers are largely unfamiliar with the foundations of philosophy and, at the same time, are deeply interested in what technology means for philosophy.
A book that proposes a philosophical revolution but offers mostly fun thought experiments.Pub Date: Jan. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-393-63580-5
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: Oct. 6, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
A well-organized and helpful primer.
A concise but thorough introduction to working in civic technology in the United States.
Civic design consultant Harrell observes that the civic tech movement—a “loosely integrated” shift of private-technology-industry skills into the public sector—commenced in 2008, with the “the aim of making government more responsive, more efficient, more modern, or more just.” The author understands the movement on a 50-year arc, asserting that it’s still young and maturing into its “adolescence”; confusingly, however, this timeline seems to indicate that perfect efficiency and justice will be achieved at its end. Nonetheless, Harrell furnishes a brief but impressively comprehensive overview that lucidly describes its challenges and its promise, including helpful advice for those looking to enter the public sector for the first time. She also discusses the stark cultural differences between the public and private sectors, especially regarding the swiftness of project completion, bureaucratic entanglements, and approaches to budgeting. At the heart of the book is counsel on the most effective ways to improve public services without trying to simply impose private models upon them; for example, the author cautions against a reflexive idolatry of innovation, arguing that it can be inconsistent with public goals of continuity and long-term stewardship. Harrell’s astute and accessible work will be especially valuable to newcomers, as it draws deeply on her own considerable experience as a product director, user-experience researcher, and chief of staff. However, the author’s treatment of privilege in the technology sphere feels like bland cant, and sweeping declarations such as “the motives behind the regulations are almost always good and important” display excessive idealism. Still, Harrell’s effort will be useful to many, including experienced workers who are simply looking for a synoptic distillation of civic technology’s objectives.
A well-organized and helpful primer.Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73528-650-1
Page Count: 168
Publisher: Five Seven Five Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 10, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An insistently hopeful, fact-based booster shot for a doomsaying, world-weary population.
An influential thought leader puts a positive spin on global awareness.
In his posthumous collaborative book poised to “fight devastating ignorance with a fact-based worldview,” Swedish physician, global health lecturer, and academic statistician Rosling (1948-2017) parts the dingy curtains of global pessimism to reveal an alternate and uplifting perspective on the state of world issues today. Co-written with Rosling’s son and daughter-in-law, the book effectively educates, uplifts, and reassures readers through chapters reinforced by focused, statistically sound research studies. Rosling presents 10 theoretical concepts, or “instincts,” which are basic human impulses that often cause the general public to misinterpret and hyperbolize critical information about the contemporary world. Among the behaviors he cites that drive people to manifest an “overdramatic worldview” are the tendency to divide everything into two aspects (“us vs. them,” the “developing” vs. the “developed” world), blaming one indicator for a myriad of troubles, and cultivating a negative mindset. Adding to the dynamically designed presentations of charts, images, data analysis, and personal anecdotes, the author also breaks up his succinct chapters with humor and common-sense reasoning bolstered by statistical data. Multiple choice questions on world knowledge are sure to surprise and enlighten readers curious about their own awareness levels and susceptibility to rush judgments, misconceptions, and defeatist mindsets. With unfailing optimism, Rosling administers a fact-based antidote to apocalyptic statistics like world population overgrowth, rampant infant deaths, and soaring crime rates, none of which are ballooning out of control but are fearfully perceived as such. He also examines five pressing real-world “risks” that demand attention: poverty, global warming, financial collapse, global pandemic, and a catastrophic third world war. In compelling readers to comprehend the positive aspects of world changes using practical thinking tools, Rosling delivers a sunny global prognosis with a sigh of relief.
An insistently hopeful, fact-based booster shot for a doomsaying, world-weary population.Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-10781-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: April 23, 2018
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