 Reading:
1999 |
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December, 1999
November, 1999
- Reflections
on a Ravaged Century, Robert Conquest
- Robert Conquest is a noted British "sovietologist"
(and was a foreign policy advisor and speechwriter to Margaret
Thatcher - and also is a noted science fiction writer!). In this
book he looks back on the roots and development of totalitarian
ideologies in the 20th century and discusses at length the contrasts
between societies that fell prey to those ideological contagions
and ones that proved largely immune to them. Especially engaging
is Conquest's informed depiction of the thorough corruption of
civic society under Soviet communism in Russia. Very well written:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
- The
Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea, Sebastian
Junger
- Well deserving its reputation as a classic of modern adventure
writing, this book is an excellent travel read. Recommended.
- The
Cassini Division, Ken MacLeod
- Scottish science fiction author MacLeod offers an excellent
to the growing body of books explicitly addressing transhumanist
issues and themes. While I deeply disagree with what appears
to be his own personal political philosophy depicted in this
book, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND it as a good yarn that is well-informed
by the best thinking about transhumanism.
September-October, 1999
- Atheism
: A Philosophical Justification, Michael Martin
- An exhaustive work of technical philosophy in which Martin
addresses both major and minor arguments for and against the
existence of god. Not a book of significant literary merit, but
rather one that deals meticulously with the logic and illogic
of theism. Recommended to the serious student of philosophy.
- The
Postmodern Turn, Steven Best, Douglas Kellner
- A historical and analytical overview of postmodernism by
two authors basically sympathetic to the fundamental concepts.
A good introduction and, for those previously unfamiliar with
postmodernism, a work that makes clear how modern Western academia
has worked itself into a quagmire of self-doubt, contradiction
and irrelevancy (although this is not the authors' intent). Recommended
as a good single-volume overview of the subject (but a warning:
contains dense postmodernist and Marxist jargon; if you're allergic
to Marxist jargo, beware!)
- When
Things Start to Think, Neil A. Gershenfeld
- Gershenfeld is one of the leading creative thinkers at MIT's
Media Lab. This quick read is a good overview of the techniques
and directions of the Media Lab and provides some insight into
the direction of current technological development. Recommended.
- Quarantine,
Greg Egan
- One of Egan's early works, it clearly demonstrates that he
is the leading philosophical thinker working in science fiction
today. A book thick with ideas. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
- Distress
: A Novel, Greg Egan
- Continues Egan's work as the deepest thinker in science fiction
today. Presages some of the wilder ideas found in Permutation
City. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
July-August, 1999
- The
Race for Consciousness, John Gerald Taylor
- Written for the interested layman, but delving into considerable
detail, this book describes the current state of the art in linking
specific neurological structures and functions in the brain to
the specific elements of consciousness such as qualia, continuity
and the like. Starting with the basic theory of neural networks
and fundamental neuoranatomy, Taylor explains his theory of "relational
consciousness" as an over-arching structure for unifying
the growing breadth and depth of knowledge in this vast arena.
I can't endorse Taylor's writing style, because in attempting
to "dumb down" his material for lay readers, he in
fact overemphasizes his metaphor of a race among researchers
and engages in a bit too much repetition. But I do nevertheless
recommend the book for the serious lay student of cognitive science.
- Vast,
Linda Nagata
- A sequel to Deception
Well. Nagata shows a poetic mastery of transhuman technologies
such as nanotechnology, "consciousness scultping" and
especially the problems and promises of uploading. Especially
interesting is her depiction of utterly alien life forms and
the tension between the goals of unitary consciousnesses and
ones formed by union of multiple entities. Highly recommended.
May-June, 1999
Trust:
The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, Francis
Fukuyama
- Continuing his analysis of modern society in the aftermath
of the Cold War, Fukuyama follows up his book The End of History
and the Last Man with a detailed view of the role that trust
plays in a number of societies. He identifies the concept of
trust as one of the basic ingredients of civil society, labeling
it the essential element of what he calls "social capital"
-- a resource that can be cultivated and squandered, depending
on the choices made by a society's leaders and institutions.
Highly Recommended.
Countdown:
A History of Space Flight, T. A. Heppenheimer
- A good overview history of space flight, from the early pioneers
of rocketry through the International Space Station and Beyond.
Primarily a history of engineers, programs and institutions,
this book is not a detailed history of specific space flights.
Recommended.
Cryptonomicon,
Neal Stephenson
- Although this book might not be considered "science
fiction" by some, I think it is. From a purely literary
viewpoint, this is the best novel I've read in the last ten years.
Set in two interwoven time frames (World War II and "the
present", Cryptonomicon follows a wide cast of well-developed
and interesting characters through a complex fabric of personal
interaction across time and space. The basic subject matter is
cryptography and the birth and development of computers and modern
communication technology, but saying that is like saying that
Crime and Punishment is about a murder. EXTREMELY HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED.
Earthweb,
Marc Stiegler
- Good story of ideas about advanced collaborative knowledge
systems on the web. Not so impressive as fiction.
April - May, 1999
- The
Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence,
Ray Kurzweil
- A pioneer of optical character recognition, computerized
speech and many other human-interface tools reviews the history
of computation in a cosmic perspective and projects the radical
impact of vastly increased processing power on the development
of artificial intelligence and, ultimately, human individuals
and society. Written in a casual style for the well-informed
layman, Kurzweil synthesizes insights from many fields to portray
a positive and challenging path for humanity in the first half
of the 21st century. Recommended.
- A
Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge
- In a very well-crafted story, Vinge portrays three civilizations
(two human, one not) in different stages of adaptation to technology,
which is the recurring theme of his work. Set in the same future
(but much earlier) as A Fire on the Deep, this book ultimately
explores the clash between open closed societies. Highly Recommended.
March, 1999
- Cities
in Civilization, Peter Geoffrey Hall
- A very large book looking at the city as a focus of civilization
from various perspectives, such as the city as cultural and artistic
crucible, cities as locations for and causes of technological
and social innovation and the city as organizational challenge
for the societies that have built them. Despite its breadth,
the book suffers somewhat for its lack of perspectives from cultures
outside the European tradition. A well-researched and well-written
book, recommended to the serious student of history.
- The
Libertarian Reader: Classic and Contemporary Writings from Lao-Tzu
to Milton Friedman, Edited by David Boaz
- Highly recommended resource of the basic texts of liberty,
both for the newcomer to freedom and the committed libertarian.
February, 1999
- The
Real Frank Zappa Book, Frank Zappa
(Introduction), Peter Occhiofrosso (Contributor).
- The maestro in his own words. This
book was constructed from many hours of taped monologues in the
late 1980s. Zappa reminisces about his childhood, his early musical
influences, the Mothers and his adventures and misadventures
on the road and in his quest to produce and distribute his own
music. The last half of the book contains Zappa's account of
his transformation into a free speech advocate and political
activist, exploring in at least a little depth the thoughtful
and irreverent social philosophy and criticism expressed in his
music. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to Zappa fans.
- Speaking of Frank Zappa . . . (my
Frank Zappa page)
January, 1999
- Consilience,
Edward O. Wilson
- Wilson undertakes the laudable task of restating and revitalizing
the ideals of the Enlightenment. In this project he takes on
the failed subjectivist "deconstruction" program of
the so-called post-modernists and seeks new bridges between "the
two cultures" of science on the one hand and the fine and
liberal arts on the other. His critique of post-modernism is
a well-crafted rallying point for those devoted to the ideals
of reason and notions of cultural progress informed by the scientific
method, but he ultimately undermines the power of his prescriptive
solution by succumbing to a static conception of human nature.
Recommended.
- Two Signposts
on the Road to a New Enlightenment: My extended review of
Consilience by
Edward O. Wilson and The
Future and Its Enemies by Virginia Postrel
