Philosophy Technology

We face a collapsing society with advancing technology—a dreadful situation. Here are some of the questions INTELLOPY answers by applying facts of reality and reason...

These works by Thoreau and Gandhi consider the best way to promote justice and goodness not in utopia, but in the actual world where we live. The primary goal of Agora Publications is not to answer such controversial questions by taking sides, but to provide access to philosophical works that promote such dialogue.

The following essays focus on consciousness, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, artificial intelligence, computer science, virtual and augmented reality, and more. Each chapter stands on its own and doesn’t require prior knowledge about the subject, though having a background in philosophical and scientific thinking is a plus. These essays, with a few exceptions, were originally published in Europe on the Integral World website during the past decade.

In Overcomplicated, complexity scientist Samuel Arbesman offers a fresh, insightful field guide to living with complex technologies that defy human comprehension. As technology grows more complex, Arbesman argues, its behavior mimics the vagaries of the natural world more than it conforms to a mathematical model. If we are to survive and thrive in this new age, we must abandon our need for governing principles and rules and accept the chaos.

What if the laws of physics as we understand them are incomplete, only half of the equations that explain reality? The world we once knew has been destroyed by man's greed. The only hope to restore the planet Earth is Dr. Tim Smith. In the material world that once existed, Tim Smith was the head of the Quantum Teleportation Program at DARPA and a "Time Smith" in the non-matter thotonic universes whose shadows persist. Unfortunately, mankind's last hope, Dr. Smith, is quite clearly insane.

Bill McKibben, examines the dangers inherent in an array of technologies that threaten not just our survival, but our identity. Imagine a future where lab workers can reprogram human embryos to make our children "smarter" or "more sociable" or "happier." Enough examines such possibilities, and explains how we can avoid their worst consequences while still enjoying the fruits of our new scientific understandings.

When Dr. David Hosack tilled the country's first botanical garden in the Manhattan soil more than 200 years ago, he didn't just dramatically alter the New York landscape; he left a monumental legacy of advocacy for public health and wide-ranging support for the sciences. In melodic prose, historian Victoria Johnson eloquently chronicles Hosack's tireless career to reveal the breadth of his impact. The result is a lush portrait of the man who gave voice to a new, deeply American understanding of the powers and perils of nature.

Science and violence converge in modern warfare. While the finest minds of the 20th century have improved human life, they have also produced human injury. They engineered radar, developed electronic computers, and helped mass produce penicillin all in the context of military mobilization. Scientists also developed chemical weapons, atomic bombs, and psychological warfare strategies. Rational Fog explores the quandary of scientific and technological productivity in an era of perpetual war.

Every prime minister of independent India has guided, if not personally overseen, one prized portfolio: technology. If, in the early years, Nehru and his scientist advisors retained an iron grip on it, subsequent governments created a bureaucracy that managed everything from the country's crown jewels - its nuclear and space programs - to solar stoves and mechanized bullock carts. But a lesser-known political project began on August 15, 1947: the Indian state's undertaking to influence what the citizens thought about technology and its place in society.

In the 24 centuries that have passed since the Athenians put Socrates to death, every generation has interpreted the meaning of Plato's work differently. Joseph Uemura guides us through six dialogues in an effort to promote a dialectical quest rather than seek a final resting place. Plato's dialogues treat the big questions that confront any thoughtful person.

Berkeley uses the Socratic mode of inquiry in Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous to question fundamental beliefs about knowledge and reality. These dialogues are between Hylas (whose name is derived from the ancient Greek word for matter) and Philonous, whose name means "lover of mind". The new physical sciences developed in the 17th century supported the materialism proposed by Thomas Hobbes and several other philosophers.

In den letzten Jahren hat sich Steampunk als ein faszinierendes und vielseitiges Genre etabliert, das sowohl in der Literatur als auch in anderen Kunstformen eine bedeutende Rolle spielt.

Istorija primenenija Lean-tehnologij - tak nazyvaemye tehnologii berezhlivogo proizvodstva - naschityvaet uzhe neskol'ko desjatiletij. Nesmotrja na jeto, povsjudu, osobenno v nashej strane, sistemu Lean vosprinimajut kak iskljuchitel'no novuju i ne vpolne primenimuju dlja evropejskih i amerikanskih, a tem bolee rossijskih, realij. Chasto govorjat, chto tol'ko japonskie rabotniki, privykshie k odnoobraznoj dejatel'nosti i poslushaniju, sposobny osvoit' rabotu po tehnologijam Lean: ritmichnuju, akkuratnuju, osnovannuju na komandnom vzaimodejstvii.

Wie politisch darf Wissenschaft sein? Harald Lesch gibt Antworten. Coronapandemie, Klimakrise - wir leben in einer Zeit vielschichtiger Probleme. Täglich neue Erkenntnisse erschweren uns die Antwort auf die Frage: "Was sollen wir tun?" Hier sind vor allem auch die Naturwissenschaften gefragt: Sie können erklären, Fakten liefern, Orientierung geben, Lösungen bieten. Doch gerade sie stehen neuerdings fundamental in der Kritik. Von Anmaßung der Forscher und Ideologie ist die Rede. Der bekannte Physiker Harald Lesch und der Publizist Klaus Kamphausen appellieren an uns alle.

Here is the fascinating story of the making of the high-tech business revolution and the birth of the Digital Age. Journalist Jeffrey Young chronicles six decades of unbridled technological innovation, taking you inside today's business empires and introducing you to the dreamers, the schemers, the entrepreneurs, and the inventors who built them...

This is an excerpt (three sections total) from J. Munro's justly famous book, Heroes of the Telegraph.

The mysteries of the cosmos have captivated man’s curiosity for thousands of years. Sound interesting? The author thinks so too! Listen to The Theories of the Universe and learn about science and astronomy.

Art is the creative manifestation of essences. In order to understand the relation between art and reality, we need a philosophical guide. The best way to comprehend how the creative act of imagining enables the mind to seek reality is to employ the kind of dialectical thinking that Plato used in his dialogues. Beginning with the shadows on the wall of the cave in which each person dwells, that process gradually enables us to grasp the essences that are manifested in individual works of art.

America has been steadily sliding in global education rankings for decades. In particular, our students are increasingly unable to compete globally in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields. According to the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), in 2010 only 26 percent of high school seniors in the U.S. scored at or above proficient level in math. Another 36 percent were failing.

In "Discover Together: Storytelling for the Whole Family, Volume Two," we embark on an enthralling journey through the landscape of emerging technologies and their profound impact on our lives. This volume delves into the realms of advanced artificial intelligence, the immersive world of virtual reality, the pioneering field of brain-computer interfaces, the speculative science of teleportation, and the visionary concept of a Global Consciousness Network.