An Invisible Thread - a comment on the human condition
581504
A well written story with a great message.  How heartwarming that Laura would undertake to mentor this young boy - and teach him to be a responsible man and father without lecturing and nagging.
4436208
In Smart Machines, authors John Kelly III and Steve Hamm  provide the general reader with a well-written, interesting guide to the future of cognitive computing, "smart machines" humans can use  to "penetrate complexity and comprehend the world around us so that we can  make better decisions."
The authors describe how computers work  and how many experts imagine computers will have to work in the future to achieve "smartness".  They discuss tools that are being developed today, current research that looks auspicious for future developments, and areas for future research  that they believe  to hold promise. The emphasis is on work done at IBM, but efforts  by others are also mentioned. A central theme to the new technology is how to cope with the vast increase in data available, and the main approach discussed is various ways to move processing closer to the data to eliminate the time  lost in moving the data to the processor.
Kelly and Hamm envision a cognitive system as analogous to Russian nesting dolls and devote separate chapters to each. The layers are:
Chapter 2: how humans interact with computers and get them to do what we want,
Chapter 3: how we organize and interpret data,
Chapter 4: (possibly my favorite chapter) how we enhance computers to have the machine equivalent of ALL of our senses, not just the obvious sight and hearing, but also touch, taste, and smell.
Chapter 5: how we put together the physical components of a computer, the computer architecture, and
Chapter 6: how we build the core components to manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic scale, exploit nanotechnology, and invent a new physics of computing in order to increase processing speeds significantly.
The final chapter imagines how cognitive technology can help run the city of the future.
This is a survey of a rather large field (or fields); readers who become interested in some aspect will want to follow up references to  get details. To those not familiar with work on intelligent machines it is a fascinating introduction. Those who have already read in the field are not likely to learn anything new, but the material is structured in a way that brings coherence to a subject that specialists tend to see only in bits and pieces.  How good is their vision? Come back in 25 years, and our smart machines will help us decide.
3223142
A deeply thought-out explanation for many 'things' in our world: gravity, colors we see, etc.
4817570
The book is not, and should not, be of interest to everyone. On one hand Focault's basic thesis is worthy of consideration. It was quite predictable. Even though I was not familiar with him or his ideas, I immediately suspected that he would argue for some sort of relativism. There is no doubt that what constitutes mental illness is largely the result of popular consensus and "expert opinion." As a history it is a excellent, as a work of theory, it is also engaging. In the few pieces of pure theory I have perused I've found baseless hypothesis supported by hopelessly illogical arguments cloaked in impenetrably  confusing jargon. This book, on the other hand, is quite accessible, in spite of being translated from French. While his basic contention is very hard to refute, I find it impossible to completely agree with it. The exploration of how industrial societies produce neuroses and/or do not accept neurotics is beyond the scope of this review---but there are many factors that go into the development of mental illness. Focault focuses only on one of them in this book.

Focault chronicles the evolution of Western's civilization's conception of madness, which may not be the most interesting topic. The antiquated paradigms of science are of interest only to historians of science; most of us want only the cutting-edge. Yet, there is some benefit to exploring outmoded means of thinking; sometimes there is virtue in their reasoning, even if their conclusions, or explanations for their conclusions, are wrong. The book has a few wonderful stories. My favorite is about the inmate who was able to withstand incredibly bitter winters without clothes, blankets or heat sources. It nicely illustrates the power of the mind and the power of madness itself.

 Focault's central point is correct, but there are disorders that have clear biological causes and are alleviated greatly by drugs like lithium. Other disorders, like ADHD, appear to be fabricated illnesses with diagnostic criteria so vague that they are applicable to nearly everyone. It seems odd that restlessness in preadolescent boys is now considered an incurable disease. Having an abundance of energy and being bored by school subjects, and the boring ways in which they are presented, strikes me as a sign of good mental health, but my views are not sanctioned by any large organizations.

Fair warning: this is not the sort of book one brings to the beach; it is not the sort of book one can read quickly.
735862
I'm a Director of the Foundation for Humanity's Adulthood, an organisation based in Sydney Australia, set up to promote inquiry into the human condition and in particular to promote the work of Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith the author of A Species In Denial. I have a long association with Jeremy and have spent the last sixteen years studying and debating the ideas he has synthesized. In my opinion A Species In Denial and the ideas underpinning it are critically important to any real progress for our species and therefore this planet.
However, as the title suggests, and from my own personal experience, this is a difficult subject for humans to even look at, but look at it we must because it is dealing with the central issue and problem of human consciousness, that of our insecurity about our human condition, the cause of all our psychosis and general malaise. This issue of the human condition is the underlying problem in all human affairs, which until now we have had no choice but to cope with by denying its existence. Inevitably therefore we are all intimidated by having this central issue of the human condition, this issue of self, raised. Looking so deeply into ourselves is very confronting and destabilising, that is why this issue has been so contentious and off-limits. But now, armed with understanding we can safely go there and it is a very rewarding experience. It is difficult and inevitably some will find it too difficult at first.
Our habituated response is naturally one of extreme fear so there is resistance to these ideas that manifests in the form of derision and ridicule. This is to be expected and is an understandable response to so fearful a proposition as confronting our human condition, but we can no longer be ruled by this fear. It is up to each individual to test this new ground to see if their foundations can cope with venturing into this long denied and therefore little known territory and if it is not, then to have the magnanimity and trust to let those who can lead the way through, go boldly forward. By doing so debate will be stimulated and we will eventually and collectively find that our deep seated insecurities are at last able to be dissolved by explanation and understanding - it is truly the most authentic, wonderful and ultimately meaningful state that awaits us. Our future and freedom lies in confronting the issue of the human condition, nowhere else.
4385705
The author brings us up to date on the latest insights that research into DNA has provided into the understanding of human development. One of the most interesting revelations is that given the small number of human beings in the past, each of us has received repeated chunks of the same DNA from a limited pool. As a result we are all related to each other. Instead of a family tree, we should look at the past as a kind of mesh of interactions. The idea of race is mostly a delusion. The differences between people are transitional, and in fact, white Northern Europeans are a recent manifestation that only emerged a few thousand years ago. The author describes all this with surgical precision, a healthy sense of humor and an obvious appreciation of the beauty of what he is witnessing  that at times is nearly poetic.
2410237
The book begins with the defining statement of its thesis (page 1): "The basic contentions of the argument of this book are implicit in its title, namely, that reality is socially constructed. . . ."  The essence of this: our understanding of what is "real" is something that comes from our living in a social world.  That social world is a major part of defining what "reality" is.

The book is not necessarily an easy read.  But the authors' argument is important and the reader will be rewarded by "toughing it out."  Even if one disagree with Berger and Luckmann, it is important to grapple with and address their arguments.

One of the major issues of the human condition is that we become convinced that we "know" reality" and reject other people's views of "reality"--when, in fact, as the authors argue, "reality is a construction of society."  Much conflict, then, is a battle over constructions--and not a battle over objective reality.

Human nature's role? The book winds up with a telling comment here (page 183): "Man is biologically predestined to construct and to inhabit a world with others.  This world becomes for him the dominant and definitive reality. Its limits are set by nature, but, once constructed, this world acts back upon nature. . . . In this same dialectic man produces reality and thereby produces himself."

This is an important work on how people come to understand the world around them and how that perception, in its turn, affects their behavior. Many readers will be uncomfortable with this argument, but it is an important issue to address.  And this book is one of those key venues where such an interaction between readers and ideas can take place.
3916394
"The Human Condition" is one of three volumes from the three year long project run mainly by the Boston University School of Theology called the Comparative Religious Ideas Project (CRIP). The idea was to get together a group of scholars, one representing each major religious tradition (but not of that tradition him/herself), plus a group of "comparativist" scholars, to meet regularly and discuss three main topics: the human condition, ultimate realities, and religious truth. Volumes then emerged on each topic.
The religions covered are: Chinese Religion, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism. Most of the scholars are from the faculty of Boston University (School of Theology and Department of Religion).
This volume contains a well written foreword by Peter Berger, who talks about globalisation and pluralism. There follows an introduction by Robert Neville, who chaired the project. Then individual chapters follow, one each per world religion, in which the relevant scholar tries to analyze how that religion (based mainly on its texts) has viewed the human condition. The volume ends with chapters trying to draw out some comparisons.
This volume will be of use to people interested in comparative religion. It will not be enjoyed, perhaps, by those who disagree with its methodology. For example, as the title of the project suggests, the study confines itself to "ideas", not practises. It therefore lacks something in the way of anthropological and historical approaches. It does not take into account more recent approaches such as narrative theology. And the compressed nature of the chapters means that much of the complexity and polyvocality present in any major religious tradition disappears (an understandable problem if one tries to answer "How does Islam / Christianity / etc. view the human condition" in 30 pages).
The book ends with a section on selected works for further reading.
2293275
Greenstein has a welcome counterpoint to the pelthora of rather pessimistic tomes that have appeared recently. These speak of the chaos, randomness and pointlessness of the Universe, implying that we can never know nor understand the whys of existence. This book is a poetical reverie on the wonder of existence. The so-called Anthropic Principle - the idea that any feature needed for life must exist because we exist - is used as a foundation for the book.
From this principle one can study the requirements of life and begin to ask why.  Although A.N. Wilson has stated that we get in trouble the moment we ask "Why" that is the fate of mankind. These requirements are marvelous, sometimes incomprehensible.  For example, the universe as we know it has three dimension because (hearkening back to our principle) it must in order for us to exist.  The placement of our planet in the Solar System, the existence of a large moon, the tilt of the axis, the presence of water...all of these are required for the evolution of intelligent life and all must exist because sentient creatures developed on Earth.
The author states that "Creation was Perfect" or otherwise we would not be here.  The forces between atomic parts must be as perfect as those between galaxies.  For this reason, some have opted for "Intelligent Design" as an alternative to the Big Bang and its sheer randomeness.  This book is even cited as a proponent of that view despite the author's belief that life originated from non-life and his clear pronouncement on the matter: "Science expands - rather than shrink - the mysteries.  A religious account...has the opposite effect."  What is true is that the CONDITIONS for life exist in the universe only because that was how things turned out.  This could be Universe 143,000 and the only one that established the conditions for life.  Great book.
3598932
Larry Kilham compares the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland and the bizarre world she enters to the fictitious life lived by those drawn into the realm of technology.  Smart phones compete with every major event and relationships are built online instead of one on one.

Mr. Kilham realizes the importance of technology but as he has traveled to different countries he confirms the studies that countries where the young people are engulfed in smart phones, their education has stalled.  Individual need for recognition and attention is fed by the sweep of selfies.  These pictures aren't necessarily to show accomplishment but to be seen in a world of millions of people connected to each other.

The Digital Rabbit Hole is not critical of technology but it shows the pit fall facing people who allow it to control basic needs in our lives and demands our precious time for menial tasks.  Mr. Kilham shows us how pathetic our addiction to the internet has numbed our senses, but inspires us to break loose and cultivate creativity.
2268732
Time flies when events are happy, but bring on trouble and sadness, then time dawdles and becomes endless.  Notice how  time drags for youth but accelerates for the more mature.  Time is an intangible entity that can be viewed from the past, the present, and the future.  The past resides in memories, the now immediately transitions into the past, and the future relies on imagination.  In this absorbing account of the elusive quality of time, New Yorker staff writer Alan Burdick seeks to understand how time is perceived by different individuals and how the brain intakes stimuli to translate perceptions into our varying clocks.  Beginning with a history of how time is measured from the planetary, global, and atomic levels; the story continues with a survey of the philosophers view of external changes.  Past and current scientific studies exploring the vagaries of the inner time pieces are delightfully detailed.  Some investigators seclude themselves in blackened caves to avoid all external stimuli that might influence their time clock, others use more technological gear trying to probe the brain and find its neuronal dials.  You may be familiar with prediction, but read the book to discover the essence of postdiction.
4849332
The purpose of Cosmic Zoo: Complex Life on Many Worlds is to answer the question: Are we alone in the universe, or is there a good chance that there are thinking, talking, machine-making creatures out there for us to talk to?  Not just bacteria or trilobites.  The authors say they think, Smart, tool-making creatures may arise on other worlds, maybe on many other worlds.

But then they admit, We see no examples of intelligent, radio-transmitting, spaceship-making life in the sky.  So there must be what Robin Hanson calls the Great Filter between the existence of planets and the occurrence of a technological civilization.  Most of the book is about the search for the location of this Great Filter on the timeline of the evolutionary development of life.  They note that some of these major steps or transitions are likely and some are highly unlikely.  They then assert that, Once life has arisen on a world, complex life is highly likely to evolve.

But whether or not this true, does the existence of complex life mandate that a technological civilization must arise?  The authors note that, Animals that show intelligence are rather rare.  They then cite some potential prerequisites for technological advanced intelligence such as neural complexity, manual dexterity, a controllable energy source, and social interaction.  But they make no quantitative estimate of the likelihood of each, nor of the likelihood of all four appearing together.  They do, however, speculate that it would likely be rare, much rarer than animal or plant-like organisms.  How much rarer seems to be left up to the opinion of the reader.  The authors do note, however that the Great Filter, if it exists, must be in the step from primitive organizations to a technological civilization.

This is hardly a novel opinion, but its one thats difficult to refute.  A genuinely novel idea found in this book is that the default position for genes in a eukaryotic genome is the off position, whereas in a prokaryotic genome the default position is the on position.  This could be seen as another major transition, and one that might place the Great Filter at the prokaryotic-eukaryotic transition, much earlier in the evolutionary timeline than the authors suggest.  This has been proposed by other authors in the field, most notably Nick Lane, in his book The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origin of Complex Life.  Of such differences are interesting debates made.

This book makes a valuable contribution to the study of astrobiology, and may be of particular interest to those with a background in biological chemistry.  However, anyone with an interest in the possibility of intelligent life in the universe will find this an entertaining and engaging book, and one well worth acquiring.
4851340
The title of this book is a good summary of what it's about. It's about how the human brain could connect with other human minds through the Internet.

Chorost describes the book as a thought experiment about things that are conceptually plausible, though not yet in practice. He gives many examples of how his ideas about the future are based in technology that is already in use. There are chapters on the technology that is used to detect brain activity, chapters on nanowires and optogenetics - both mechanisms that can read and write brain activity, chapters on communications protocols for sending perceptions and memories from one brain to another, chapters on examples of what might result from linking humans to the Internet, and chapters on a possible future collective mind. The writing style is accessible and clear. In an age when people talk about neural pathways over the dinner table, the science discussions in the book are open and written for the average informed person.

Woven in with all this science reporting and speculation, is a personal narrative about Chorost's already wired brain - he has chochlear implants. He also uses stories about his personal life and relationships to introduce concepts about how the human mind works. The book is a surprisingly easy read.

Some of Chorost's examples are part of pop culture. He talks about The Matrix and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, for example. He doesn't mention Dollhouse, but I think it contains the best example of hive mind as he describes it. I don't mean the plot line in Dollhouse where new personalities are injected into people electronically and they can suddenly be doctors or kick boxing experts. Chorost's says that brains can't learn that way. But there is a particular episode of Dollhouse where the character Victor is linked to a group of soldiers, who all act with awareness of what the other soldiers are doing. Yet Victor can use his own will and thinking, even while being aware of what the others he's linked to are doing and thinking.

That Dollhouse episode is an example of Chorost's vision of the collective awareness that would come with linking the human brain to the Internet: an awareness, a perception, but not an abandonment of one's own thinking, one's own self. He thinks this would be a good thing.

The ways of making that a reality involve wiring the brain with tiny wires and/or devices, or possibly using genetically modified genes that are triggered into action with light (optogenetics). The part of the process that he accepts without comment is that people would be willing to step forward and allow these things to be done to their brains. That seems like a pretty big sticking point to me.

The book has notes, a bibliography, and an index for those who want to explore in depth.
4713228
The dynamic nature of the world is manifested in us and around us. The dependency of the network of life on continuous flow as portrayed in this book provides a fascinating and intriguing look at the patterns that evolve from complex interdependence. A must read for allocators of any type.
1566147
George Musser delivers us an interesting look here at something called nonlocality in the physics world. Imagine two particles separated by a vast distance. Now imagine that when something is done to one of them, this action is instantly reflected in the other. Sounds spooky, doesnt it. Actually this phenomenon is seen in black holes, the horizon problem in cosmology where galaxies separated by millions of light years look similar, and, of course, in entangled particles.

The author delves into the history of thought and philosophy concerning the idea of nonlocality. From Parmenides and Democritus of the fifth century B.C.E. and their conception of nature, through Aristotle, Rene Descartes, Newton, Hans Christian Orsted, Michael Faraday, and up to Einstein and other scientists of the twentieth century, we are given the history of thought on the subject. He then spends a bit of time reflecting on the work of many scientists in quantum mechanics and their discoveries and reactions to these strange phenomena.

On negative side, this is the second book Ive read by Musser, and I find the same style of explanation, which, to me anyway, is somewhat confusing. I just have some difficulty in really getting any clear substance from the material. I think there is too much meandering through all the ideas relating to the concept of nonlocality, and in an attempt to use analogies to make thinks more clear, I actually get more confused.
74453
I've written a much longer review elsewhere (Digital Journal) but here I will briefly reiterate what I see as the main thesis of the book. The authors are attempting to remediate a problem created by the Baconian, Cartesian, Newtonian framework, namely that strict mechanism requires an external cause. (No small problem to tackle.) They argue that "the concepts of final cause and subjective mind, ceded to theology some 400 years ago, are essential for explanatory closure in the real world. If they are not brought in to our discourse on nature then any attempt to explain reality leads to infinite causal regress (not to mention nihilism) that can be truncated only by invoking the supernatural." The authors seek to rescue those useful concepts that have been co-opted by theology and make use of them in secular, natural senses.

They rely upon Rosen's work (among others) and his concept of organisms of "anticipatory systems," which, I believe, the authors describe more straightforwardly than Rosen this way: "in complex systems context is causative because it constrains, and thus predisposes, what can possibly occur."  Predispositions are selected or not and their existence in organisms allows them to "anticipate" (metaphorically if no central nervous system is present) and respond to needs. They note that through the "Modeling Relation" offered by the adapted structures which predispose one way or the other, a living system anticipates the future by recalling the past. Or, to put it more simply, adaptive responses recall the past: "we experience the present and anticipate the future by living in the past."

Our society has a long history and a deep past, and this is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to affect change.  The inherited models that it operates with are based on experiences of the world that weren't quite accurate to begin with and whose errors have since only been compounded over the years.  A reconnection to natural processes is necessary to correct some of the conceptual errors brought on by our technological view of the world, a view which encourages attempting to control very complex systems, which, by the very nature of their complexity, cannot ever be fully under our control.

A good rethinking in necessary. Neither capitalism or communism--both very abstract models of how things are/should be--really work in practice. Good solutions arise from practice, from self-organized responses to environments.  In short, local, not global, solutions are what we should be focusing on.  Top down control can only go so far before it becomes too disconnected from realities and insensitive to feedback.  If this were so, societies might become functioning anticipatory systems, not the dysfunctional systems they are, destroying their own habitats and ensuring their eventual demise, which is certainly insane and unteleological.
4337975
This book divulges that activities, discernments and feelings don't run autonomously of each other. Their legitimate cooperation empowers us to see our general surroundings, tune in to our internal wishes and react properly to individuals in our environment. It shows how we can without much of a stretch tell human practices. While cognition and feeling can't be observed specifically, they positively drive the execution of recognizable activity. Through non-verbal communication, signals and listening precisely we would already be able to sweep and read a man.