Customer Reviews

Beyond Human: Living with Robots and Cyborgs

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a well-written comprehensive overview of the coming technological and cultural changes wrought by increases in robot and AI development. It refers to many sci-fi treatments of the subject, since Benford is an accomplished sci fi writer in his own right. Some parts dragged, but overall a good and interesting effort.

This book offers a pretty exciting examination of current technologies and their possible future applications, but doesn't go farther than hopeful speculation. The language is not very technically specific, and most of the examples are from sci-fi movies and books.
This book is fun and worth checking out from the library, but I highly recommend that you purchase "The singularity is near" for a more stimulating read.

Having read about 6 books on the subject, I found this to me one of the most accessible and interesting treatments on the subject. Great introductory book with big ideas.

When the future "that's closer than you think" gets just a little closer, this book will be the Crash Course Companion guide to go with it. It will have to be, since most other books on the same topic involve a textual style that requires a great deal of heavy lifting. This book, however, is divided in nice, quick and easy to read anecdotal chapters. Speculative? Yes. Of course. It's the future we're talking about here. This book looks past the visible horizon line, advising that just because we can't see it, doesn't mean we won't. In fact, the Copyright date is 2007. Two years has passed and I've seen many of the questions (Robot Laws) re-surfacing in Wired Magazine. The Future may not be here, but when it gets print in Wired, it's easy to believe that it's just 'round the corner, waiting to go "boo" the moment we step into its shadows.

Although the subject matter is timely and interesting the book tends to be a bit textbookish and soporific. I found myself skipping over large sections, or frankly falling asleep. The style is decidedly not Benford; I found myself repeatedly going back over sentences and paragraphs trying to figure out what they were trying to say, only to think "oh, is that all?" Suffice it to say that although I've voraciously read about every SciFi Doctor Benford has ever written, I'm afraid two stars is the highest I can go on this one. Sorry Greg.

This book's thesis is a beastly, dangerous idea, to think that machines can someday exceed humans. It is a narrow, materialistic, mechanistic worldview that ignores basic human factors, such as a conscience. Do you think that a computer in a robot programmed to kill would reflect on the moral issue and refuse to kill? Or would you marry a robot? It could be programmed to say "I love you," but would you believe it or think it sincere? Robot fans are projecting their own thinly veiled fantasy life, especially when they get into human desires such as sex and power.
This philosophy reflects a narrow consciousness in its believers. Robots are puppets, high-tech Pinocchios, not more than snazzy dolls and teddy bears, not serious models for humanity.
Read my "Enchantments of Technology" book.