num_pages: 655
description: If Vernor Vinge Ray Kurzweil and their techno-futurist ilk are right we are living on the brink of a technological Singularity  a time when machines will become vastly more intelligent than humans. In such a scenario death disease and everyday material scarcity will be radically diminished and life will be dramatically different in many other ways. But what will the path to this amazing future look like? How will human life grow and unfold as technology advances and Singularity approaches? The chapters in this book approach this issue from the perspectives of multiple visionary authors from around the globe covering topics such as the impact of life extension the future of money and exchange the future of human psychology biological self-modification intelligence enhancement automation and escalating unemployment the possibility of global war between pro and anti technology forces the impact of future technology on Asia and Africa the emerging Global Brain the future of surveillance and privacy and much more. There are no easy or definite answers here  but lots of fascinating questions to explore.
language: English
title: The End of the Beginning: Life, Society and Economy on the Brink of the Singularity
publisher: Humanity+ Press