A Brief History of Tomorrow [Hardcover]

Jonathan Margolis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 18, 2000

A fascinating look at the future, as you've never seen it.

Ten years from now, will we have a tiny personal computer surgically inserted in an earlobe, capable of connecting to phone lines and the internet? Fifty years from now, will atomic-sized robots replace surgeons? A hundred years from now, instead of taking the bus, will we simply teleport to work? It all may sound like impossible science fiction, but fifty years ago, so did walking on the moon. Journalist Jonathan Margolis interviews leading thinkers in such fields as genetics, medicine, neurobiology, quantum physics, robotics, computer science, and space travel to explore where we're going, and what it will look like when-and if-we get there.

Beginning with famously flawed past visions of the future-among them H.G. Wells, George Orwell, Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Hawking, and Bill Gates-Margolis examines many of the strange and tempting futures that may lie in store for us. Politics, society, religion, and work are all destined for great changes. What might they be? How will they come about? Thought-provoking, amusing, and absolutely original, A Brief History of Tomorrow is a deliciously compelling look at something we all spend a lot of time contemplating: the future.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What will the future be like? Throughout history, many have tried to answer the question, but few have had much success. Now, with journalistic clarity and wit, Jonathan Margolis in A Brief History of Tomorrow analyzes the few successes and numerous failures of past futurologists, then explores whether modern-day predictions about the future are any more likely to be correct.

The history of futurology is so littered with amusing misses that Noam Chomsky was led to remark: "Perhaps the most plausible prediction is that any prediction about serious matters is likely to be off the mark except by accident." Nevertheless, as Margolis explains, more than a few bright sparks in today's high-tech industries manage to earn a living--and a good one at that--keeping their bosses apprised of the possible courses of world history.

But are these modern-day seers likely to be any better at predicting the future than you, me, or Nostradamus? Can trends really be distinguished? In a hundred years' time, will we be laughing at the ridiculous fad that was the Internet as we tuck into our healthy breakfasts of fatty bacon and fried eggs (dietary fiber having been identified in 2020 as the major cause of bowel cancer)? Or will we, at last, be wearing those silver one-piece jump suits so beloved of 20th-century filmmakers, making our way to work in flying cars (how long have we been waiting for these?), and cryogenically preserving our heads in the hope that future surgeons will be able to reattach us to healthy bodies? No one knows, of course, but if you'd like to indulge in a bit of no-holds-barred speculation, A Brief History of Tomorrow is an undemanding and entertaining primer. --Chris Lavers, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly

In a voice pitched somewhere between conversational, conspiratorial and professorial, Margolis takes on "the arrogance of the present"Deach generation's view that it is on the cusp of greatness and that the things which are important now will always beDbut simultaneously argues that ours is indeed a remarkable time. The author of Uri Geller: Magician or Mystic and columnist for the Financial Times shows just how remarkably wrong or astonishingly right predictions can be. The fascinatingly odd visions covered in chapters on the mind, leisure, the human body and more will make readers wonder if current commonly accepted predictionsDsuch as global warming are all that much less bizarre. Readers will be so effectively drawn in that they will be able to see the subtle ways that the future is already upon us (smart-lawn mowers, cell phones) and ways in which we have fallen behind our own imaginations (space travel, farming the sea). This is a clever look at how the world could have been, how it might be and how it won't be. (Nov.) Forecast: If this survey of the decidedly fickle art of predicting the future is marketed for general consumption, it may have a decent following. It holds appeal for historians, science fiction fans, and anyone who thinks they know what the future will bring. The arrival of Y2K, which had been a focal point for many seers, from Arthur C. Clarke to Nostradamus, has tuned many people in to the future and the past simultaneously.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA (November 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582341087
• ISBN-13: 978-1582341088
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,997,133 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A stab in the dark at predicting the future, June 28, 2002

By 

"melchizedeck" (Norwich, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Brief History of Tomorrow (Hardcover)

Beginning with a history of the last few hundred years attempts at predicting the future, the successes and failures. The failure to predict feminism, inroads against racism and homophobia. The predictions of moon/Mars colonisation and flying cars among others. Then an overview of recent and current predictions for the future, how accurate they are likely to be in light of the history of futurism.

There are chapters on 'the way we weren't', 'is futurology bunk?', 'environment', 'human body', 'mind', 'home and work', 'leisure', 'travel' and a conclusion. This covers the key areas for futurism. The author makes the point that predicting the future is always fraught with peril because so many movements, ideas and inventions have come out of nowhere eg. electricity, feminism, theory of relativity, quantum theory, the internet etc.

It is generally an optimistic book despite the facts mentioned that the gap between the rich and poor is increasing and the large amount of people living close to starvation, he assumes that technological fixes will reduce hunger. There isn't much faith in the majority consensus of climate scientists that global warming is a serious problem, I assume he hasn't read enough of the relevant information. The author comes close to endorsing the views of Fukuyama that capitalism is the complete social system that the human race has been heading towards, but he is too realistic to totally endorse these views. There is a lot of interest, but for sheer futuristic leaps of imagination it doesn't quite match ' Great Mambo Chicken And The Transhuman Condition' by Ed Regis. However there are some important points made, the entertainment is kept at a premium and there is plenty of food for thought.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The most intelligent book I've read on the Future, September 1, 2001

By 

Cordell Bonney (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Brief History of Tomorrow (Hardcover)

This is a real dark horse of a book. It seemed kind of slim and I wasn't expecting much, but, wow! Not only is it extremely well-researched, but it's beautifully written, and has real wisdom. I can't agree with the reviewer who criticized it as rambling. On the contrary, it's taut and focused, quite brilliant at times, especially (and I also disagree with the previous critic here) when Margolis deals with environmental matters. I work in this field, and I think Margolis's is one of the fairest, most balanced and wisest assessments I've come across. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a serious book about the future that's not a geeky bore.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Balanced, Nuanced Overview of the Future, March 31, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Brief History of Tomorrow (Hardcover)

I've read quite a few of the current crop of pop futurology, and this is definitely one of the best. Instead of the empty hype and hot air I've often found elsewhere, this is a surprisingly sensible, well-researched survey of the major themes of 21st century technology: biotech, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, etc. And unlike many other books in the genre, it also takes into account economics, politics, and the unpredictabilty of human nature -- something of a blind spot even for giants such as Arthur C. Clarke. My only criticism is a lack of discussion of how all these various trends might combine (for instance, it would seem obligatory to include a critique of Vinge's singularity theory). Otherwise though, top-notch.