Radical Evolution: The Promise and Peril of Enhancing Our Minds, Our Bodies -- and What It Means to Be Human

More than minor wear 2010-06-05

Reviewer: Anthony Tortomase

Said Very good condition. Pretty much every other page was dog eared and way too many underlines and highlights.

A journey into the future 2009-12-06

Reviewer: Christa Caesar

"Radical Evolution" by Joel Garreau is an exciting, well-written, and insightful book on the possible future(s) we are creating for ourselves through advances in genetics, robotics, information and nanotechnologies or GRIN technologies he subsequently refers to them. The author assumes the role of a soothsayer, making his reader glimpse into his crystal ball predicting four possible futures. He takes us into the lives of today's leading researchers and innovators involved in cutting edge research, each of whom transform concepts that were once part of science fiction into reality.

A brief synopsis:
The book is divided into eight chapters, out of which four are devoted to describing four futuristic scenarios - Heaven, Hell, Prevail, and Transcend. The author weaves each chapter around the life of an inventor/futurist. The author introduces and defines concepts such as the "Curve", "Moores Law", and the Singularity", that are fundamental to each of the four scenarios that form the bulk of the book.

Style and structure:
Garreau is a gifted writer who does great justice to each of the scenarios, individuals, and scientific concepts he presents in his book. His prose is unbiased, focused, and vivid. The book is neatly organized making it enjoyable and easy on the reader. In the prologue, Garreau clearly sets the stage for the predictions he is going to state in the chapters following. He makes sure the reader understands the utmost importance and significance of what he is discussing. The author explains complicated scientific concepts in anecdotal form, easily understandable by the lay person. However, even though the book comes across as a light read for the casual reader, it contains more than mere anecdotes. It serves as a treasure chest of sources and references for the "futures" scholar. At the end of each chapter, Garreau does a fantastic job of summarizing major themes discussed in each chapter. In addition to this, the last 67 pages of the book, provides the reader with an in-depth list of books, chapters, journal articles, and other references to help further satiate the reader's curiosity.

A look in-depth:
Chapters 1 (Prologue) and 2 (Be all you can be):
The author strategically sets the framework for the reader in the first two chapters. Garreau tickles the reader with brief references to cutting edge scientific research such as the telekinetic monkey, Belle, the GRIN technologies, the all powerful yet mysterious DARPA, the "curve", and introduces the term "The Enhanced". He cleverly succeeds in lighting the reader's curiosity. The second chapter focuses mostly on DARPA and opens our eyes in understanding the very critical role the military plays in the development of cutting edge technologies.

Chapters 3 (The Curve):
This chapter is dedicated, as the title points, to the concept of the "curve". The author states that we are riding on an exponential curve of such rapid technological growth, that it is almost getting impossible to control where we are headed in the future. But the most important topic that is introduced in this chapter is that of the "singularity". The concept is described through the words of the novelist Vernor Vinge who states that "we are on the edge of change comparable to the rise of human life on earth". Garreau goes on to explain that Vinge is "anticipating the possibility of greater-than-human intelligence". He further goes on to list situations that lead us closer to the singularity. For example, "the curve drives supercomputers, intentionally or unintentionally; to cross the line to greater-than-human intelligence" or "biological technology, probably through genetic engineering produces humans with greater-than-human-intelligence".

Chapters 4 (Heaven), 5 (Hell), 6 (Prevail), & 7 (Transcend)
The meat of the book is crammed into these four chapters. The content of each of these chapters is largely the author's conversation with some of the most brilliant minds in the country. The first of the four main visionaries interviewed in this book is Ray Kurzweil, renown for his belief that we are traveling so rapidly up the exponential curve that the Singularity is not just a theory, but an imminent event in the very near future. He is the father of the movement whose underlying belief is that our technological advancements will lead us to a paradise on earth.
The second luminary whose life and thoughts Garreau sketches out in the fifth chapter entitled "Hell" is Bill Joy, co-founder of SUN Microsystems and nicknamed "Edison of the Internet". Reading this chapter is nothing short of experiencing a nightmare with your eyes wide open. Mr. Joy calmly states frightful possibilities such as the human race being turned into a pile of gray goo by all powerful and destructive nanobots.
However, somewhere in between the optimistic Kurzweil and pessimistic Joy is virtual reality inventor Jaron Lanier, a genius who believes that humans have always been creative and have the power of creativity and imagination that mere lines of computer code cannot in a million years (or rather EVER) overpower. His ideas inspired the author to pen the chapter "Prevail" where as the word suggests - humans prevail and NOT technology.
The final chapter of the series of scenarios described by the author revolves around the author's personal take on the future. He brilliantly highlights his point of view through conversations with Francis Fukuyama, American philosopher and neoconservative. He brings out an extremely important point about the definition of a human through his thoughts on "cultural evolution". He states that a major reason why people are against human alteration rests in the assumption humans have stayed constant over time. Garreau however states that humans change and HAVE been changing over the past millions of years and that we will continue to evolve, both culturally and biologically, and that these two factors are closely intertwined.

Quotes:
* "Even if technology is advancing along an exponential curve, that doesn't mean humans cannot creatively shape the impact on human nature and society in largely unpredictable ways. Technology does not have to determine history"
- Futurist and innovator of virtual reality, Jaron Lanier's take on whether technology controls human history or humans control where technology will lead us.
* "The power of information technology will double every 18 month . . . a doubling is an amazing thing"
- Moores Law as it is accepted by the global computer industry.
* "The essence of The Heaven Scenario is stealing fire from the gods, breathing life into inert matter and gaining immortality"
- The author Joel Garreau in the chapter Heaven
* "The physician who waits until dead certain of a diagnosis before acting is likely to wind up with a dead patient. Sometimes things develop so rapidly that only early action - back when you're still somewhat uncertain - stand a change of being effective, as in catching cancer before in metastizes"
- Bill Joy, also known as the Edison of the Internet and co-founder of SUN microsystems, speaking about the possibility of a Hell like scenario to occur if we do not take action NOW to prevent it.

Final thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed reading every single word of this book. It is brilliantly written and the author delivers his thoughts with the utmost clarity. Not only is the book fun to read, but the reader finishes the book being much wiser and educated. The book has wonderfully depicted different sides to the same story and it is this aspect of numerous perspectives that make it a wonderful read. I would recommend this book to any individual - science fan, philosopher, student, teacher, politician, or Luddite.

If you are into Sci-fi, check this out. 2009-10-06

Reviewer: W. Dobbels

Pretty interesting book, very creative ideas and topics that he discusses. If you are into Sci-fi or engineering this is a good find, ties fantasy and super humans into the real world and tells you how it is being done today.

Bait and Switch! 2009-05-28

Reviewer: Gr33n4blu3

Where are the pictures of the nude female form??? The cover has a naked woman on the cover - yet inside just a bunch of boring stuff about growing arms or wings or something. What's that got anything to do with the naked chick on the cover? Wait... Is it because she's blue? Are we going to evolve into Smurfs? The book didn't say a single word about Smurf evolution - that might be cool. Three apples high, permanent employment, and plenty of singing and dancing. Downside: one Smurfette. Also, no naked picture of smurfette.

I was tricked I tell you. Tricked.

Where's my Mag-Lite....

The Ascension of the Gods 2009-05-01

Reviewer: D.R.Thomas

Garreau sheds a definitive light on the subject of technology, and our current human endeavors that may not be known by the masses. Too often after college or grade school people separate themselves from academic reality, and even more so, especially in America, from reading in general. Some may say all of this is "fantasy" or science-fiction posited as constructive journalism, with those I have to dissent. This book gives credible references and attempts, by my interpretation, to draw forth a biased perspective. Those that naysay on the subject matter of this book are overlooking the fact that everything we as humans have created started off as a thought, and subsequent to that thought we achieved the fiscal support and intellectual minds to experiment, persevere and manifest that thought through trial and error into reality. I think by far, one of the most vivid elements of this book is how well it shows how close the gap of science-fiction and reality really is. The thing that elicits the most fear is the fact that these are the items of technology that are declassified or been around for a while; what about those that are classified? How far are we ahead in the realm of technology when it comes our inconspicuous technology?

The book itself is a gem for the possibility of the future and current expeditions in technology, both theoretically and practically. All of this is presented in a very eloquent fashion that exemplifies Garreau's superb writing skills that can even appeal to the laymen. The level of detail that Garreau delves shows how well researched the book actually is. Within the first forty pages of the book there is a myriad of examples showing the foresight of the human population and its technology. This piece of literature is also a very good initial point to begin in reference to our technological endeavors, because it harnesses so much of it. With thirty-four pages of end notes and references, along with thirty-three pages of suggested reading, Garreau gives those that are interested in learning more about the subjects, and/or those interested in refuting his work, plenty of information to vet the information at hand.

The only negatives I can bring are: Garreau over extends the need for "painting" the picture. There is a lot of excessive and unnecessary supplemental writing in the book, but in his defense, keeps it from being so dry; also, it lacks pictures, I would think that would be essential for investigative reporting.

Some quotes that standout throughout the book that exhibit profundity on the subject at hand:

Pg.42 "It is a snapshot of one small portion of one organization is working on in the first decade of the 21st century." - This is in reference to DARPA and their technological plans.
Pg. 52 "...it's not clear that there are any practical limits represented by quantum physics, human ingenuity and the market...Whether our will can shape limits is the core issue..."
Pg. 106 "In every civilization, in every era, we have given the gods no peace." - On human ingenuity and intellect

In the end this book caused me to revisit much more than my conception of technology. Our human culture is being transcended, by my opinion, by it and we need it to expand into the cosmos. Garrea's book caused me to think about a number of things and from this reading I have written thirteen pages of notes, so it definitely causes one to think. - D.R.Thomas