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A review by maisela25
The Future of Humanity: Terraforming Mars, Interstellar Travel, Immortality and Our Destiny Beyond Earth by Michio Kaku
4.0
A highly readable, entertaining, and insightful look into what it will take for humanity to permanently settle beyond Earth. Kaku takes the reader through what he views as an imperative: establishing colonies within our solar system and throughout the universe. He lays out how fragile our existence is and how human civilization can come to a cataclysmic end (climate change, cataclysmic volcanoes, asteroids, and the inevitable heat death of our planet by the Sun) as a means to motivate us to look to the stars for salvation.
The book is neatly divided into interconnected sections that discuss all aspects of space colonization, from what planets might sustain life for us (or other civilizations) and how to get there, to more granular aspects of colonizing the universe, including self-replicating robots, trans-humanism, immortality, and Kaku's coined term "laser porting" (transferring our consciousness into pure energy which can be beamed to far-off relay stations and robots, allowing us to explore the universe freed from the limitations of the human body). Needless to say, expect your mind to be blown every 5-10 pages.
Perhaps what I enjoyed most was Kaku's appreciation for science fiction, which he uses throughout as a means to explain theoretical concepts and also demonstrate what may be possible in the years and centuries to come. If you're an avid science fiction fan who lacks an understanding of physics (present company included), "The Future of Humanity" is a complementary dose of science fact.
The book is neatly divided into interconnected sections that discuss all aspects of space colonization, from what planets might sustain life for us (or other civilizations) and how to get there, to more granular aspects of colonizing the universe, including self-replicating robots, trans-humanism, immortality, and Kaku's coined term "laser porting" (transferring our consciousness into pure energy which can be beamed to far-off relay stations and robots, allowing us to explore the universe freed from the limitations of the human body). Needless to say, expect your mind to be blown every 5-10 pages.
Perhaps what I enjoyed most was Kaku's appreciation for science fiction, which he uses throughout as a means to explain theoretical concepts and also demonstrate what may be possible in the years and centuries to come. If you're an avid science fiction fan who lacks an understanding of physics (present company included), "The Future of Humanity" is a complementary dose of science fact.