The computing technology on which we are now so dependent has risen to
its position of ascendency so rapidly that few of us have had the
opportunity to take a step back and wonder where we are headed. This
book urges us to do so.
Taking a big-picture perspective on digital technology, Living with
Computers leads the reader on a whistle-stop tour of the history of
information and information technology. This journey culminates in a
deep exploration into the meaning and role of computers in our lives,
and what this experience might possibly mean for the future of human
society - and the very existence of humanity itself.
In the face of the transformative power of computing, this book provokes
us to ask big questions. If computers become integrated into our bodies,
merging with the information processing of our very DNA, will computing
help to shape the evolution of biological life? If artificial
intelligence advances beyond the abilities of the human brain, will this
overturn our anthropocentrism and lead to a new view of reality? Will we
control the computers of the future, or will they control us?
These questions can be discomforting, yet they cannot be ignored. This
book argues that it is time to reshape our definition of our species in
the context of our interaction with computing. For although such
science-fiction scenarios are not likely to happen any time soon - and
may, in fact, never happen - it is nevertheless vital to consider these
issues now if we wish to have any influence over whatever is to come.
So, humans, let's confront our possible destiny!
James W. Cortada is a Senior Research Fellow at the Charles Babbage
Institute at the University of Minnesota. He holds a Ph.D. in modern
history and worked at IBM in various positions for 38 years, including
in IBM's management research institute, The IBM Institute for Business
Value (IBV). He is the author of over a dozen books on management, and
nearly two dozen books on the history of information technology. These
include the Springer title From Urban Legends to Political
Fact-Checking: Online Scrutiny in America, 1990-2015 (with William
Aspray).
