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thelindyeffect's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
hlwilkins's review
4.0
Interesting and thought provoking book about the future of life in the universe. Could we live on other planets in our solar system, moons, exoplanets or something outside of our galaxy yet discovered. How could we get there?
It covers a broad range of science relating to space travel and how we could colonize different parts of the universe (a space elevator!!) Some of it went right over my head such as the complexities of rocket and star ship engineering, quantum physics and string theory (I don’t think I’ll ever be cerebral enough to understand that!) but I love the discussion on trans humanism and the ethics of biotechnology. Also some great discussion about extra terrestrial life which backed a lot of what I’ve always thought - if aliens are out there they are way more advanced than us and have no business coming to visit us as mere dumb humans on Earth. We’ll just have to find them.
I’m definitely more interested in the future of living in space as well as the universe itself from this read. Don’t think I’ll ever get into advanced physics though!
It covers a broad range of science relating to space travel and how we could colonize different parts of the universe (a space elevator!!) Some of it went right over my head such as the complexities of rocket and star ship engineering, quantum physics and string theory (I don’t think I’ll ever be cerebral enough to understand that!) but I love the discussion on trans humanism and the ethics of biotechnology. Also some great discussion about extra terrestrial life which backed a lot of what I’ve always thought - if aliens are out there they are way more advanced than us and have no business coming to visit us as mere dumb humans on Earth. We’ll just have to find them.
I’m definitely more interested in the future of living in space as well as the universe itself from this read. Don’t think I’ll ever get into advanced physics though!
andrew_russell's review
3.0
The Future of Humanity by Michio Kaku is partially a prediction of what technology and science has to offer us in the years, decades and even centuries to come, as well as partially a portent of what fate shall bestow upon us should we fail to exploit this technology to the full.
The supposedly impending doom that awaits the human race is nothing if not a hot topic right now. The members of groups such as Extinction Rebellion, as well as other scaremongering rapscallions offer one possible solution; lets give up everything the human race has achieved in the past two hundred years and gather round a fire in the woods, to congratulate ourselves on our regressive backwards leap. Sounds ideal. Except there is (at least) one major flaw in the lifestyle 'choices' which such people wish to impose upon the world. The flaw is that very few, if any individuals will actually adopt any of the practices which are posited.
The Future of Humanity offers a refreshing break from all this in that it actually attempts to suggest intelligent solutions to the difficulties we face as a race, rather than just beating us endlessly around the skull with the blunt instrument of what we are constantly told is not only the complete and utter ignorance we've displayed in the past, but also the failure of anyone over the age of forty to display the appropriate level of angst regarding the plight future generations shall have to face. Were it not for the position of eminence Kaku holds in the scientific community, some of the ideas of which he writes could be viewed as lying to the far end of the 'crackpot' scale. Space elevators, ion engines, the proliferation of sentient and self-replicating robots, the delivery of the contents of our neurons to the far ends of the universe via laser beams and even the eventual ability of humans to, on a massive scale, manipulate the environment of the universe itself; these and many others are all described and explained. And the key here is that hard though it may be to believe, the explanations are buttressed by scientific credibility.
However, Kaku's solutions to the environmental challenges we face repeat themselves a number of times throughout the book, almost to the point of making what starts out as a piece of work with enormous potential to be interesting, into something that is verging on dull. Compounding this is the simple fact that through no fault of his own, his field of expertise is one which you don't get to grips with straight away. You just don't. Long-winded expositions on string theory and how it applies to what can be achieved in the future shall rarely if ever be greeted by the words, 'Ok...makes sense.' At least not straight away and probably not by any of us who are not steeped in the academic soup that governs the field of theoretical physics. Although the initial pages contain some fascinating backstory around the likes of the history of the space race and the stance adopted by entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Richard Branson with regards to commercial space travel and it's wider benefits, it isn't too long before Kaku unreins his passion for his subject and all that makes it the most abstract in the scientific field. In doing so, he runs the strong risk of losing the reader completely.
Moreover, although the concepts he proposes are 'buttressed by scientific credibility', the degree to which this is the case is often paper thin and the extent to which such concepts lie in the realm of pure speculation rather than that of scientifically robust theory make them far less engaging to read about than would otherwise be the case. In Kaku's deep scientific knowledge, can be found a recurring trait of almost skating over possible future scientific discoveries, possibly in the misguided belief that such theories are blindingly obvious, almost treating them as accepted fact, decades, centuries, or even millennia before they have even been conceived to any reasonable extent. This is often a difficult tightrope to walk; just how can a writer hope to provide a window looking into the far future without the danger of facing such an accusation? Kaku deserves some credit for walking this tightrope and in spite of The Future of Humanity's flaws, managing to write something that not only tries to provide some potential solutions to arguably the greatest known challenge that has faced mankind but does so in a unique and thought-provoking manner.
The supposedly impending doom that awaits the human race is nothing if not a hot topic right now. The members of groups such as Extinction Rebellion, as well as other scaremongering rapscallions offer one possible solution; lets give up everything the human race has achieved in the past two hundred years and gather round a fire in the woods, to congratulate ourselves on our regressive backwards leap. Sounds ideal. Except there is (at least) one major flaw in the lifestyle 'choices' which such people wish to impose upon the world. The flaw is that very few, if any individuals will actually adopt any of the practices which are posited.
The Future of Humanity offers a refreshing break from all this in that it actually attempts to suggest intelligent solutions to the difficulties we face as a race, rather than just beating us endlessly around the skull with the blunt instrument of what we are constantly told is not only the complete and utter ignorance we've displayed in the past, but also the failure of anyone over the age of forty to display the appropriate level of angst regarding the plight future generations shall have to face. Were it not for the position of eminence Kaku holds in the scientific community, some of the ideas of which he writes could be viewed as lying to the far end of the 'crackpot' scale. Space elevators, ion engines, the proliferation of sentient and self-replicating robots, the delivery of the contents of our neurons to the far ends of the universe via laser beams and even the eventual ability of humans to, on a massive scale, manipulate the environment of the universe itself; these and many others are all described and explained. And the key here is that hard though it may be to believe, the explanations are buttressed by scientific credibility.
However, Kaku's solutions to the environmental challenges we face repeat themselves a number of times throughout the book, almost to the point of making what starts out as a piece of work with enormous potential to be interesting, into something that is verging on dull. Compounding this is the simple fact that through no fault of his own, his field of expertise is one which you don't get to grips with straight away. You just don't. Long-winded expositions on string theory and how it applies to what can be achieved in the future shall rarely if ever be greeted by the words, 'Ok...makes sense.' At least not straight away and probably not by any of us who are not steeped in the academic soup that governs the field of theoretical physics. Although the initial pages contain some fascinating backstory around the likes of the history of the space race and the stance adopted by entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Richard Branson with regards to commercial space travel and it's wider benefits, it isn't too long before Kaku unreins his passion for his subject and all that makes it the most abstract in the scientific field. In doing so, he runs the strong risk of losing the reader completely.
Moreover, although the concepts he proposes are 'buttressed by scientific credibility', the degree to which this is the case is often paper thin and the extent to which such concepts lie in the realm of pure speculation rather than that of scientifically robust theory make them far less engaging to read about than would otherwise be the case. In Kaku's deep scientific knowledge, can be found a recurring trait of almost skating over possible future scientific discoveries, possibly in the misguided belief that such theories are blindingly obvious, almost treating them as accepted fact, decades, centuries, or even millennia before they have even been conceived to any reasonable extent. This is often a difficult tightrope to walk; just how can a writer hope to provide a window looking into the far future without the danger of facing such an accusation? Kaku deserves some credit for walking this tightrope and in spite of The Future of Humanity's flaws, managing to write something that not only tries to provide some potential solutions to arguably the greatest known challenge that has faced mankind but does so in a unique and thought-provoking manner.
jarichan's review against another edition
4.0
Die aktuelle Science-Fiction bietet viel Stoff und Ideen, wohin wir von hier aus gehen könnten. Doch was ist aktuell für die Menschheit wirklich machbar? Was könnten wir noch leisten? Wo sind wir in 10 Jahren, 100, 100?
Auf diese Fragen hat Michio Kaku Antworten gesucht, gefunden und gesammelt. Dieses Buch ist das Ergebnis und für jeden Sci-Fi-Fan eine empfehlenswerte Lektüre. Aber natürlich auch für wissenschaftlich orientierte Leser bietet der Autor viel Information, wobei er sich fühlbar an den interessierten Laien wendet.
Das Werk ist logisch aufgebaut, was sehr hilfreich ist. Kaku folgt einem Plan, von der Vergangenheit in die Zukunft. Denn auch wenn es sich um ein Werk handelt, das sich damit beschäftigt, wohin es die Menschheit treibt, so fusst die Zukunft doch stets in der Vergangenheit. Auf diese Art und Weise erhält man gleich noch einen guten Einblick in die Geschichte der Wissenschaft und deren wichtigsten Grundlagen.
Es hilft natürlich, wenn man sich diesbezüglich bereits etwas auskennt, aber vor allem die ersten Dreiviertel des Buches sind enorm gut lesbar. Michio Kaku schreibt ohne jegliches Wissenschaftdünkel, flott und doch professionell. Erst am Schluss wird es mit Stringtheorie und Hawking und Dunkler Materie etwas komplexer. Aber da befinden wir uns schon sehr, sehr weit in der Zukunft.
Für mich war praktisch jede Seite in diesem Titel aufschlussreich, spannend und erhellend. Einiges wusste ich bereits, konnte Wissen vertiefen und Neues lernen. Ohne dass mir der Autor Oberlehrerhaft vorkam. Ganz im Gegenteil. Kaku ist ein angenehmer Lehrmeister, der sein Metier kennt und liebt.
Und das merkt man auch seinem Buch an.
Auf diese Fragen hat Michio Kaku Antworten gesucht, gefunden und gesammelt. Dieses Buch ist das Ergebnis und für jeden Sci-Fi-Fan eine empfehlenswerte Lektüre. Aber natürlich auch für wissenschaftlich orientierte Leser bietet der Autor viel Information, wobei er sich fühlbar an den interessierten Laien wendet.
Das Werk ist logisch aufgebaut, was sehr hilfreich ist. Kaku folgt einem Plan, von der Vergangenheit in die Zukunft. Denn auch wenn es sich um ein Werk handelt, das sich damit beschäftigt, wohin es die Menschheit treibt, so fusst die Zukunft doch stets in der Vergangenheit. Auf diese Art und Weise erhält man gleich noch einen guten Einblick in die Geschichte der Wissenschaft und deren wichtigsten Grundlagen.
Es hilft natürlich, wenn man sich diesbezüglich bereits etwas auskennt, aber vor allem die ersten Dreiviertel des Buches sind enorm gut lesbar. Michio Kaku schreibt ohne jegliches Wissenschaftdünkel, flott und doch professionell. Erst am Schluss wird es mit Stringtheorie und Hawking und Dunkler Materie etwas komplexer. Aber da befinden wir uns schon sehr, sehr weit in der Zukunft.
Für mich war praktisch jede Seite in diesem Titel aufschlussreich, spannend und erhellend. Einiges wusste ich bereits, konnte Wissen vertiefen und Neues lernen. Ohne dass mir der Autor Oberlehrerhaft vorkam. Ganz im Gegenteil. Kaku ist ein angenehmer Lehrmeister, der sein Metier kennt und liebt.
Und das merkt man auch seinem Buch an.
littleprefect's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fun book to listen to! I highly recommend it.
aniblaahh's review against another edition
challenging
informative
4.5
4.5 stars.
Probably the best non-fiction book on space I've ever read. Kaku is so clear and articulate in describing very difficult scientific concepts and physics. The overall positive narrative of humanity; what we have overcome and the capacity for what we can do fills me with hope for our future. This book changed my outlook on humanity and society, I can't stop thinking about it.
Probably the best non-fiction book on space I've ever read. Kaku is so clear and articulate in describing very difficult scientific concepts and physics. The overall positive narrative of humanity; what we have overcome and the capacity for what we can do fills me with hope for our future. This book changed my outlook on humanity and society, I can't stop thinking about it.