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The Skeptics' Guide to the Future
- What Yesterday’s Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrow
- Narrated by: Steven Novella
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
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Publisher's Summary
From the bestselling authors and hosts of 'The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe' a high-tech roadmap of the future in their beloved voice, cracking open both the follies of futurists past and how technology will profoundly change our world moving forward.
Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the '60s, which didn't anticipate the sexual revolution or women's liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations.
The best we can do is try to absorb from futurism's checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better.
In The Skeptics' Guide to the Future, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. By exploring the pitfalls of each era, they give their own speculations about the distant future, transformed by unbelievable technology ranging from genetic manipulation to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Applying their trademark skepticism, they carefully extrapolate upon each scientific development, leaving no stone unturned as they lay out a vision for the future of tomorrow.
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What listeners say about The Skeptics' Guide to the Future
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- SammehSAMURAI
- 10-01-2023
great source for research and future planning
long time listener of the SGU, really enjoy all the work that you guys do to bring good science to me daily.
I'm writing a book (sci-fantasy fiction) that is partially set in a projected future earth. having this resource to refer to is a huge boon. already i feel thencreative ideas flowing. certain things mentioned confirm ideas ive had. or send me back to the.drawing board to figure out new ways of making it work for my narrative.
looking forward to any and all future projects you fellas create!
thanks for making science fun!
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- angus
- 19-10-2022
Great all around!
loved it. Enjoyed evey minute! can't wait for the next book! This book was fantastic and very well presented. a great looked into the future that kept me engaged every step of the way. 10/10 would recommend!
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- Scott Wesley
- 26-09-2023
great podcast translated into futurism
have listened to these rogues for years on their podcast, and have very much looked forward to their second book looking into the future of tech.
Steve reads this well
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- Stephen J. Wylie
- 16-06-2023
Paralysingly boring in places
I am a scientist, and I appreciated the science, but the monotonic narration by SN cripples the story. Pay for a professional narrator but also hire a good editor
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