by Thanh Nguyen-Ba ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2021
A gripping reflection of the murky future of Homo sapiens.
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A philosophical assessment of the inevitable mortality of humankind.
According to trend analyst Thanh, humankind is, at least in one respect, no different than other species that have ever occupied the Earth—it is on a “deterministic extinction path,” and it has an “expiry date.” “No one lives eternally….[N]one of the life forms roaming the Earth when life started here some 3.7 billion years ago are still around today with the same DNA. No species has existed since the beginning of life, and none will last forever.” However, humans do distinguish themselves from the rest of “wild nature” in one crucial respect: We can actively participate in the process of our own extinction. Thanh astutely observes the self-destructive combination of increasingly low birth rates and a high median age; we are getting older as a society and living longer but choosing not to reproduce. Even if we avoid a catastrophic demise, it looks likely that humanity will expire by choice—an option made possible by technologies such as contraception, he says. The author thoughtfully reflects on the issue from various perspectives, including whether the path humanity is on is reversible—it’s not, he surmises—or if it can be considered good. Also, Thanh provocatively explores the possibility that the blessings of technology, and how it’s provided the means to material emancipation at the individual level, have doomed humanity at the societal level by separating sex from procreation, reducing the economic value of offspring, and promoting marriages based on the volatile emotion of love. In a sense, the author argues, humanity will “naturally self-terminate in pursuit of fun.”
Thanh’s approach is more about raising questions than it is about answering them, which makes the book more of a stimulating introduction to its issues than a comprehensive account of them. As the work is only slightly longer than 100 pages, it’s far too brief to combine such thoroughness with rigor, especially regarding such a rich and complex set of problems. It’s clear that the author chooses to inspire rather than complete a conversation, but this adds to the book’s philosophical depth; for instance, Thanh raises the question of whether the apathy of humankind is a function of “human nature in a modern setting” or simply an inexorable function of evolution. “Evolution might be revealing its conceptual endpoint, where the brainiest species can and does party itself out of existence, consciously and happily.” In other words, human beings would be the first species to intelligently relieve themselves of the very labors that make them cling to survival. One can quibble that the author does not take seriously enough the possibilities of a seismic and possibly religious revival as the consequence of modern discontent—a renaissance of older forms of living or even a defiant stand against technology and modernity as a whole. After all, human history, precisely because of the messy depth of human consciousness, has proved intractably resistant to prediction. Nonetheless, this is a fascinating analysis that’s unflinching and perceptive.
A gripping reflection of the murky future of Homo sapiens.Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2021
ISBN: 979-8531458612
Page Count: 123
Publisher: Independently Published
Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Walter Isaacson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2023
Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator.
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A warts-and-all portrait of the famed techno-entrepreneur—and the warts are nearly beyond counting.
To call Elon Musk (b. 1971) “mercurial” is to undervalue the term; to call him a genius is incorrect. Instead, Musk has a gift for leveraging the genius of others in order to make things work. When they don’t, writes eminent biographer Isaacson, it’s because the notoriously headstrong Musk is so sure of himself that he charges ahead against the advice of others: “He does not like to share power.” In this sharp-edged biography, the author likens Musk to an earlier biographical subject, Steve Jobs. Given Musk’s recent political turn, born of the me-first libertarianism of the very rich, however, Henry Ford also comes to mind. What emerges clearly is that Musk, who may or may not have Asperger’s syndrome (“Empathy did not come naturally”), has nurtured several obsessions for years, apart from a passion for the letter X as both a brand and personal name. He firmly believes that “all requirements should be treated as recommendations”; that it is his destiny to make humankind a multi-planetary civilization through innovations in space travel; that government is generally an impediment and that “the thought police are gaining power”; and that “a maniacal sense of urgency” should guide his businesses. That need for speed has led to undeniable successes in beating schedules and competitors, but it has also wrought disaster: One of the most telling anecdotes in the book concerns Musk’s “demon mode” order to relocate thousands of Twitter servers from Sacramento to Portland at breakneck speed, which trashed big parts of the system for months. To judge by Isaacson’s account, that may have been by design, for Musk’s idea of creative destruction seems to mean mostly chaos.
Alternately admiring and critical, unvarnished, and a closely detailed account of a troubled innovator.Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781982181284
Page Count: 688
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
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by Walter Isaacson with adapted by Sarah Durand
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by Marilynne Robinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2024
In this highly learned yet accessible book, Robinson offers believers fresh insight into a well-studied text.
A deeply thoughtful exploration of the first book of the Bible.
In this illuminating work of biblical analysis, Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Robinson, whose Gilead series contains a variety of Christian themes, takes readers on a dedicated layperson’s journey through the Book of Genesis. The author meanders delightfully through the text, ruminating on one tale after another while searching for themes and mining for universal truths. Robinson approaches Genesis with a reverence and level of faith uncommon to modern mainstream writers, yet she’s also equipped with the appropriate tools for cogent criticism. Throughout this luminous exegesis, which will appeal to all practicing Christians, the author discusses overarching themes in Genesis. First is the benevolence of God. Robinson points out that “to say that God is the good creator of a good creation” sets the God of Genesis in opposition to the gods of other ancient creation stories, who range from indifferent to evil. This goodness carries through the entirety of Genesis, demonstrated through grace. “Grace tempers judgment,” writes the author, noting that despite well-deserved instances of wrath or punishment, God relents time after time. Another overarching theme is the interplay between God’s providence and humanity’s independence. Across the Book of Genesis, otherwise ordinary people make decisions that will affect the future in significant ways, yet events are consistently steered by God’s omnipotence. For instance, Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, and that action has reverberated throughout the history of all Jewish people. Robinson indirectly asks readers to consider where the line is between the actions of God and the actions of creation. “He chose to let us be,” she concludes, “to let time yield what it will—within the vast latitude granted by providence.”
In this highly learned yet accessible book, Robinson offers believers fresh insight into a well-studied text.Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9780374299408
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
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