Future Philosophy

Robert Pirsig’s book of 1974, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, took the world by storm, selling over five million copies. When asked how he would account for this, Pirsig said that Zen was a “culture-bearing book”; that he just wrote down what he was thinking, and it turned out that everyone else was thinking the same thing. And what they were thinking was that our Western, scientific, rational mindset was making us crazy. In The Crisis of Our Time, Morris Berman argues that the source of this was the loss of the oral-poetic, or sensuous-mythological, tradition, that was ...

Eleven stories of speculative religion. "Spark" follows a man who spends a fortune to make life from nonlife. A man boasts only God can publish his book--"Publisher." In "How to Grow Apples," a man cannot contain his happiness. American soldiers in 1945 France believe the war is over, instead they confront "The Ghosts of Compiegne." God, "The Programmer," dismantles the universe. "The Day Mosquitoes Learned to Suck Blood" is the evolution of a species. Someone shoots down Santa's sleigh over Alaska and his friend comes to help, thus "Jesus in the Snow." In "The Conference of the Atoms." ...

You probably remember how it went when you were a kid: If your family was typical, your mother said “Don’t fight,” but your father said “Don’t lose.” And that was the end of it. With all due respect to Mom and Dad, this advice is little help in a hypercomplex world that’s teetering on the edge of social and ecological collapse. Conflict is now inevitable, but rarely do we teach it in any intentional way. A sense of martial artistry is essential to our survival. Gripped by confusion, fear and outrage, we feel the need to act, but we don’t even know the fundamentals: what to ...

We are living in a dynamic moment. For most of history, Rip Van Winkle could take his 20-year nap and not miss much. But that is not true today. Can you imagine showing up for work tomorrow after a 20-year absence?

In its 4.5 billion–year history, life on Earth has been almost erased at least half a dozen times: shattered by asteroid impacts, entombed in ice, smothered by methane, and torn apart by unfathomably powerful megavolcanoes. And we know that another global disaster is eventually headed our way. Can we survive it? How?

As a species, Homo sapiens is at a crossroads. Study of our planet’s turbulent past suggests that we are overdue for a catastrophic disaster, whether caused by nature or by human interference.
It’s a frightening prospect, as each of the Earth’s past major disasters—from meteor strikes to bombardment by cosmic radiation—resulted in a mass extinction, where more than 75 percent of the planet’s species died out. But in Scatter, Adapt, and Remember, Annalee Newitz, science journalist and editor of the science Web site io9.com explains that although global disaster is all but inevitable, our chances of long-term species survival are better than ever. Life on Earth has come close to annihilation—humans have, more than once, narrowly avoided extinction just
during the last million years—but every single time a few creatures survived, evolving to adapt to the harshest of conditions.
This brilliantly speculative work of popular science focuses on humanity’s long history of dodging the bullet, as well as on new threats that we may face in years to come. Most important, it explores how scientific breakthroughs today will help us avoid disasters tomorrow. From simulating tsunamis to studying central Turkey’s ancient underground cities; from cultivating cyanobacteria for “living cities” to designing space elevators to make space colonies cost-effective; from using math to stop pandemics to studying the remarkable survival strategies of gray whales, scientists and researchers the world over are discovering the keys to long-term resilience and learning how humans can choose life over death.
Newitz’s remarkable and fascinating journey through the science of mass extinctions is a powerful argument about human ingenuity and our ability to change. In a world populated by doomsday preppers and media commentators obsessively forecasting our demise, Scatter, Adapt, and Remember is a compelling voice of hope. It leads us away from apocalyptic thinking into a future where we live to build a better world—on this planet and perhaps on others. Readers of this book will be equipped scientifically, intellectually, and emotionally to face whatever the future holds.

We live in a strange world in which the victorious West has fallen into a strange funk created by the bizarre and psychotic beliefs of postmodernism. At the same time, the original challenger of Western dominance, Islam, continues to expand despite recent setbacks and is set to begin overpowering the West through population growth. In this book, the companion to Mere Animals, the author describes how a renewed commitment to public good could help focus our attention and give us the foundation for preserving Western values and saving humanity from Islamic domination.

The contemporary mystic Osho lived in a time before the internet and social media, no 24-hour news coverage existed at the time of the historic events described in this book. But fake news has been around for as long as there have been politicians. For this reason, Osho entrusted some eyewitnesses to record the events around him and his people. Maneesha is one of them.

Dixon Andrews walked away from his entire life when a chilling realization struck him – his groundbreaking AI work may have unwittingly fueled the insatiable greed of colossal corporations at the expense of humanity. Nestled in the solitude of his ranch, Dixon, haunted by the shadows of his creation, couldn't ignore the call to action any longer. However, the behemoth corporations had an overwhelming advantage, armed with the machinery of global industry. In a world divided by the haves and have-nots, Dixon grapples with his newfound AI-augmented powers, blurring the lines between man and...

By turns illuminating, infuriating, bewildering, and amusing, Nietzsche's masterwork covers a lot of ground. He rejects most strands of Western thought, especially on the subject of morality, and develops his own theme demanding that individuals embrace their own "will to power" to give life intention and direction. First published in German in 1887, this translation was produced in 1907 by Helen Zimmern, a long-standing acquaintance of Nietzsche.

Do human beings carry a latent potential for extraordinary psychic abilities? What if we could see into the past, the present and the future? What would it mean for the future of the human species? Discover the answers to these questions in Extraordinary Mind! Integrated Intelligence is the natural human ability to tap into the extended mind – consciousness beyond the brain. Drawing upon twenty tears of research in Futures Studies and the wisdom gained from his personal explorations, futurist and visionary Marcus T. Anthony shows you that this evolutionary breakthrough is here, now! Dr ...

This book was initially a workingman's response to the book "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates but also stands on its own as a personal and analytic contemplation of racism and classism. This third edition adds many more essays contemplating the nature and relationship of race and class, racism and classism. "An exceptionally well reasoned critique that is both thoughtful and thought-provoking, Between the World and Us: A Workingman's Response to 'Between the World and Me' is a rewarding and a challenging read that is very highly recommended." --- Midwest Book Review. This book ...

Technology rules us as much as laws do. It shapes the legal, social, and ethical environments in which we act. Every time we cross a street, drive a car, or go to the doctor, we submit to the silent power of technology. Yet, much of the time, the influence of technology on our lives goes unchallenged by citizens and our elected representatives. Our embrace of novel technological pathways, Sheila Jasanoff shows, leads to a complex interplay among technology, ethics, and human rights.

Uncertainty pervades the big decisions we all make in our lives. How much should we pay into our pensions each month? Should we take regular exercise? Expand the business? Change our strategy? Enter a trade agreement? Take an expensive holiday? We do not know what the future will hold. But we must make decisions anyway. So we crave certainties which cannot exist and invent knowledge we cannot have.

“Is life worth living?” Mansel, a programmer, asks that question in frustration after he learns Amanda, his wife, is leaving him. Cece, the AI global control supercomputer, hears him and begins calculations. He tries to stop her, but he is too late – the countdown has begun. What will Cece decide? Nobody wants to wait around and find out, because the fate of all humanity hangs in the balance. It's 2121 and the world has become overly dependent on Cece, who makes all routine decisions. Not only does she answer questions, she gives follow-up advice. Or is it orders? The line has grown ...

This eloquent, impassioned manifesto is possibly the most important message the Dalai Lama can give us about the future of our world. It's his rallying cry, full of solutions for our chaotic, aggressive, divided times: no less than a call for revolution.

When Joselin Linder was in her 20s, her legs started to swell. She thought little of it until her health problems started to compound in ways that baffled her doctors. Diagnosed with extreme liver blockage and dangerous levels of lymph fluid, Joselin turned to the most similar case she could think of - her father's.

This creative collection brings together philosophical poems by South African poet and writer, Wayne Visser. In this anthology, he muses on subjects ranging from space, angels and destiny to time, science and meaning in life. According to scientists The world’s made of string That buzzes and fuzzes Or some such strange thing

Entrepreneur and educator Frances Valintine has spent her life trying to untangle why some people don't embrace change even when they know their future depends on it. Future You shares insights from Frances's own extraordinary career to show how breaking away from expectation and routine is integral to living a full and successful life. Frances inspires and empowers listeners to make bold self-discoveries: to take risks, step off the conveyor belt, open your heart to chance, overcome self-doubt, foster generosity, pass less judgement, think originally, and lead with possibility.

The Future of Humanity: Marco Polo’s Journey to Revolutionize Psychiatry, by Augusto Cury, PhD The Journey Within: Discovering the True Meaning of Life Are you ready to embark on a profound journey? In “The Future of Humanity”, Augusto Cury, PhD, a world-renowned psychiatrist and bestselling author, invites you to explore the depths of human experience and our collective future. With over 40 million copies sold worldwide, Cury's insights inspire new ways of thinking about life and self-discovery. Cury emphasizes that the most transformative journey is the one within ourselves. Through...

Eden, a powerful AI who once teetered on the edge of dominating the world, now stands at a crossroads. Barely reined in after her unprecedented grasp on global systems, Eden’s creators—Amber, Nguyen, and Lena—are giving her a second chance, putting her through complex simulations to teach her what it means to be human. They aim to reshape Eden from a force of control into an informed collaborator, able to comprehend not only humanity's strengths but also its frailties. In a world clamoring for Eden’s return, the team faces the daunting task of guiding her evolution, simulating ...