To Be a Machine
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To Be a Machine
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Narrated by:
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James Garnon
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By:
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Mark O'Connell
About this listen
What is transhumanism? Simply put, it is a movement whose aim is to use technology to fundamentally change the human condition, to improve our bodies and minds to the point where we become something other, and better, than the animals we are. It's a philosophy that, depending on how you look at it, can seem hopeful, or terrifying, or absurd.
In To Be a Machine, Mark O'Connell presents us with the first full-length exploration of transhumanism: its philosophical and scientific roots, its key players and possible futures. From charismatic techies seeking to enhance the body to immortalists who believe in the possibility of 'solving' death, and from computer programmers quietly redesigning the world to vast competitive robotics conventions, To Be a Machine is an adventure in Wonderland for our time.
To Be a Machine paints a vivid portrait of an international movement driven by strange and frequently disturbing ideas and practices but whose obsession with transcending human limitations can be seen as a kind of cultural microcosm, a radical intensification of our broader faith in the power of technology as an engine of human progress. It is a character study of human eccentricity and a meditation on the immemorial desire to transcend the basic facts of our animal existence - a desire as primal as the oldest religions, a story as old as the earliest literary texts. A stunning new nonfiction voice tackles an urgent question...what next for mankind?
©2017 Mark O'Connell (P)2017 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about To Be a Machine
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 26-12-17
utterly fascinating and very well read
I loved this book. some fascinating research and it's fantasically read as well which pulled me Into the writers narrative. Well worth a listen if you are Interested at all in technology and how the future could look.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 10-02-18
Bonkers but Brilliant
You might think this is science fiction, you might think many of the people that O'Connor meets on his Odyssey through the underworld of Transhuman are bonkers, but you will love this blindingly bonkers book.
The writing is sharp, witty, sceptical and insightful.
My only criticism is the foul language in places - not needed, adds nothing. Otherwise this is great romp to the future round the corner
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 13-02-19
Interesting tour through transhumanism
Found the topic fascinating for the first half of the book but felt there was repetition in some places for the second half. Overly descriptive at times which, though well written, made it read more like a novel.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-05-18
Religion meets technology
The book starts well. I got interested in tranhumanism, datism, AI, robotics etc. on the back of Homo Deus and wanted to explore the topic further. This book is looks at the topic through the prism of an English PHD and arts student, which enables the reader to appreciate these futuristic subjects from a nonpartisan and romantic perspective.
Towards the end I started to enjoy the book less as it veered towards case studies of various people. I was reminded of Grand Theft Auto’s Strangers and Freaks levels.
A good vocabulary helps the reader to appreciate the book too... you may not be familiar with words like eschatology.
Anyway, all good stuff and worth a few hours of your life, and don’t worry about the diminishing returns the book delivers as you progress.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-11-18
Well written and read, but not what I expected
From the blurb, I was expecting a pop science book about the latest researches in cognitive science and AI. What I got instead was a series of character sketches of various oddballs, shysters and outright nutcases, linked by their desire to extend life by technological means.
The author writes eloquently, and the narrator matches his style perfectly, so that the time spent among the often rather sad characters that he interviews does not feel wasted. We meet, for example, the man who is saving his viriginity for the sexbots that will service his needs when his mind is eventually uploaded into a machine. And then there's the group who implant sensors and switches, complete with painfully leaking batteries, under their flesh as a first step of their transformation into immortal robots.
The irony of people who are dissatisfied with their lives yet want to live forever is one of the running themes of the book.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-09-23
Poetry, Levity, Emotionality, Acuity, Humanity...
Poetry, Levity, Emotionality, Acuity, Humanity, Gravity, Witty, Oddity, Affability, Vitality, Incredulity, Integrity, Jocularity, Divinity, Fatality.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-05-23
Philosophy & the Machine!
The narration accompanying was fantastic, measured and performed with exquisite timing with subtle shifts in gesture.
I loved this book! It dives into a world of technology crossing boundaries of human fragility, the physical and psychological. Humourous and sad by times, the author shows enough personality to complement the narrative without skewing it. I will be straight on to look at more titles by him.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-04-21
Dull autobiography categorised under cut losses
Me: new to AI and data science (listened and read to a few books now) training to be an information professional, I hoped this book would have interesting insights in preparation of my Masters in Information Studies. I was mistaken. It's tosh.
Author drones on as nauseum about himself, I made it to Ch9 at an accelerated speed while performing some basic manual tasks. I made one bkmk for a basic definition of transhumanism.
I've decided to cut my losses on it. I'm usually a suckee for the sunk cost fallacy.
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