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honnari_hannya's review against another edition
4.0
3.5
A very accessibly written nonfiction tracking the trajectory of the human race. This starts with a brief look at the development of information and technology that helped us understand the cosmos and Earth's place in it, and moves on to the potential outcomes of human destiny. This is one of the more comprehensive books I've read on this particular subject and I think Kaku does a commendable job at showing us, if not exactly how to get from point A to B to C and so forth, then how to at least move forward in that direction in light of the existential threats faced by the Earth, our solar system, our galaxy, and ultimately the universe.
I do have a few gripes with this book that prevented me from giving it a full 4 or even 5 stars.
First, I think Kaku seems to take a particularly rose-colored view to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. This was published in 2018, so probably written somewhere around 2016/2017, so it's not like the criticisms of either men were few and far between. Bezos especially had already been heavily criticized for worker's rights abuses, the environmental cost of Amazon's business policies, amongst other things. Just because he has contributed to the future of tech doesn't mean that scientists should wave away those issues, as none of these developments exist in a vacuum. The human-cost of acquiring the wealth that Bezos has in order to fund said private space ventures that Kaku praises should have really been examined with a critical eye. Elon Musk is also another one of those characters that get overly praised in the science and tech community for having a lot of money to put toward space technologies, which he earned himself as a "self-made" man—a persistent mythology amongst the "by your bootstraps" community of edgelords that Musk has curated. But I digress.
Second, I think Kaku puts a lot of stock in western exceptionalism, which is always an issue in science and technology books that focus on the "future of humanity." It is of interest to me that one of the primary reasons Kaku thinks space travel is our next step are lack of resources on the planet. I think there have been studies that show we do not lack for resources (space, food, materials) for the amount of people we do have on Earth or even double that, and that wealth inequality is a choice perpetuated by the top 1% of the population. NOT COINCIDENTALLY, the top 1% that has enough money to fund and participate in privatized space ventures. I wish Kaku had focused a little more on the idea of creating a sustainable, equitable present as a path toward a sustainable, equitable future. Otherwise we will end up destroying the planet and each other before Type 1/2 Technologies can be achieved.
One interesting thing to note is that I wonder if Kaku has any thoughts on how COVID has impacted people's willingness to commit to long space journeys, which was of primary concern for NASA in thinking about manned missions to Mars. The impact of isolation is being tested in real time, so it will be interesting to see how many people are going to be willing to go through it again for the sake of space missions. In my opinion, probably a lot more people will think they can take it.
A very accessibly written nonfiction tracking the trajectory of the human race. This starts with a brief look at the development of information and technology that helped us understand the cosmos and Earth's place in it, and moves on to the potential outcomes of human destiny. This is one of the more comprehensive books I've read on this particular subject and I think Kaku does a commendable job at showing us, if not exactly how to get from point A to B to C and so forth, then how to at least move forward in that direction in light of the existential threats faced by the Earth, our solar system, our galaxy, and ultimately the universe.
I do have a few gripes with this book that prevented me from giving it a full 4 or even 5 stars.
First, I think Kaku seems to take a particularly rose-colored view to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. This was published in 2018, so probably written somewhere around 2016/2017, so it's not like the criticisms of either men were few and far between. Bezos especially had already been heavily criticized for worker's rights abuses, the environmental cost of Amazon's business policies, amongst other things. Just because he has contributed to the future of tech doesn't mean that scientists should wave away those issues, as none of these developments exist in a vacuum. The human-cost of acquiring the wealth that Bezos has in order to fund said private space ventures that Kaku praises should have really been examined with a critical eye. Elon Musk is also another one of those characters that get overly praised in the science and tech community for having a lot of money to put toward space technologies, which he earned himself as a "self-made" man—a persistent mythology amongst the "by your bootstraps" community of edgelords that Musk has curated. But I digress.
Second, I think Kaku puts a lot of stock in western exceptionalism, which is always an issue in science and technology books that focus on the "future of humanity." It is of interest to me that one of the primary reasons Kaku thinks space travel is our next step are lack of resources on the planet. I think there have been studies that show we do not lack for resources (space, food, materials) for the amount of people we do have on Earth or even double that, and that wealth inequality is a choice perpetuated by the top 1% of the population. NOT COINCIDENTALLY, the top 1% that has enough money to fund and participate in privatized space ventures. I wish Kaku had focused a little more on the idea of creating a sustainable, equitable present as a path toward a sustainable, equitable future. Otherwise we will end up destroying the planet and each other before Type 1/2 Technologies can be achieved.
One interesting thing to note is that I wonder if Kaku has any thoughts on how COVID has impacted people's willingness to commit to long space journeys, which was of primary concern for NASA in thinking about manned missions to Mars. The impact of isolation is being tested in real time, so it will be interesting to see how many people are going to be willing to go through it again for the sake of space missions. In my opinion, probably a lot more people will think they can take it.
treborc29's review against another edition
4.0
The first two thirds of this book were really good and had my full attention. The final third, however, about 'Leaving The Universe' was a real struggle to get through and the book became a chore to read; I was just counting down the pages till it was over. It gets quite technical when talking about string theory, dark matter and black holes, which I struggled to grasp but if you can understand the science behind it and you are are generally interested in that area then that section will be right up your street.
Regardless, the book provides fascinating insight into the different planets we could inhabit, how we would get there and the logistics of travelling to Mars. It's relatively easy to understand and makes the subject more widely accessible than you might expect considering it's written by a physics professor. It doesn't feel like a textbook and is great for the casual space fan like myself.
Regardless, the book provides fascinating insight into the different planets we could inhabit, how we would get there and the logistics of travelling to Mars. It's relatively easy to understand and makes the subject more widely accessible than you might expect considering it's written by a physics professor. It doesn't feel like a textbook and is great for the casual space fan like myself.
checkers09's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.75
The future of humanity covers our journey into space and how our existence on earth and among the stars will develop over time. The book is split into three sections, each covering a certain area of humanity's existence in space namely leaving the Earth, voyage to the stars and life in the universe.
The themes discussed are extremely interesting, and Kaku clearly has great knowledge of the various subjects he discusses, as well as an enthusiasm for the subject, which jumps off the page. I particularly enjoyed his chapters on type zero to four civilisations and the ways in which space travel and its financing have changed, morphing from a primarily government-run undertaking to being dominated by venture capitalists (at least in the US).
The book is written clearly enough, although there is something about his writing style which I find slightly grating. I can't put my finger on it, but I just found myself disengaging a lot from what he was writing about, even when the subject matter was very interesting.
there were also some minor details which I found frustrating in this book, such as trying to link everything back to a science fiction book or movie which is fine in small doses but felt forced when included in every chapter. Kaku also talked about so much that it felt as if some of the subjects could have been touched on it greater depth. I think it would have been for the best if he had cut a few areas which aren't really of importance or branched off too far from the purpose of the book. For example, is it really necessary to describe how the Olympics would function in space (chapter 5)?
other than these minor drawbacks, I think The Future of Humanity is a very good overview of our journey into space, especially for those unfamiliar with the subject.
The themes discussed are extremely interesting, and Kaku clearly has great knowledge of the various subjects he discusses, as well as an enthusiasm for the subject, which jumps off the page. I particularly enjoyed his chapters on type zero to four civilisations and the ways in which space travel and its financing have changed, morphing from a primarily government-run undertaking to being dominated by venture capitalists (at least in the US).
The book is written clearly enough, although there is something about his writing style which I find slightly grating. I can't put my finger on it, but I just found myself disengaging a lot from what he was writing about, even when the subject matter was very interesting.
there were also some minor details which I found frustrating in this book, such as trying to link everything back to a science fiction book or movie which is fine in small doses but felt forced when included in every chapter. Kaku also talked about so much that it felt as if some of the subjects could have been touched on it greater depth. I think it would have been for the best if he had cut a few areas which aren't really of importance or branched off too far from the purpose of the book. For example, is it really necessary to describe how the Olympics would function in space (chapter 5)?
other than these minor drawbacks, I think The Future of Humanity is a very good overview of our journey into space, especially for those unfamiliar with the subject.
whichwayis_weston7's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
tiarala's review against another edition
3.0
First 75% of the book — 4-5 stars, but once we got into theoretical physics Kaku lost me. I know, I know, he's a theoretical physicist and it's what I should've expected and I did. But what started out as really interesting discussion of what, why, and how, became a primer on theoretical physics and I lost interest. Worth reading for the earlier chapters, though.
spaceman5000's review against another edition
5.0
Well-written and accessible book about space exploration and moving humanity off Earth. Inspirational.
ayami's review against another edition
4.0
Michio Kaku talks about a lot of interesting concepts regarding technology, space exploration and science. It wasn’t a mind-blowing read, though, as the majority of what he talks about has been mentioned in plenty of other non-fiction books out there. However, I won’t penalize the book for introducing themes I happened to be already familiar with. Some physics stuff I found hard to follow but this could be due to the fact, I was listening to it as an audiobook. Some reviewers complained about the onslaught of the pop culture references but I enjoyed them and think they were pretty well incorporated into the text. This could be because I have seen the majority of the movies mentioned, though.