Overview

The world’s most influential scientists and thinkers explain how culture evolved, why societies rise and fall, the rules of social networks, and the revolutionary impact of the internet. • “Why Do Some Societies Make Disastrous Decisions” by Jared Diamond (UCLA, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel): the reasons for the failure and collapse of societies, and how we can make better decisions to protect our own future. • “The Evolution of Culture” by Daniel C. Dennett (Tufts, author of Breaking the Spell): how culture evolved as a unique part of the human story. • “A Big Theory of Culture” by Brian Eno (musician, recording producer of U2, Talking Heads, Paul Simon, and others): a big-picture critique of what cultures value. • “Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism” by Jaron Lanier (“the father of virtual reality technology,” author of You Are Not a Gadget): a cautionary look at the impact of the internet on our lives and culture. • “Social Networks Are Like the Eye” by Nicholas Christakis (Harvard, 2009 selection of the TIME 100): on the structure and rules of social networks, both “real” and on-line. * Plus essays on Google, the reciprocity of good deeds, the “the knowledge web,” and the fate of democracy and politics in a wireless world.

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9780062023131

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The publisher of the online science salon Edge.org, John Brockman is the editor of the national bestsellers This Idea Must Die, This Explains Everything, This Will Make You Smarter, and other volumes.

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