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Visions [Hardcover]

Michio Kaku (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)


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Book Description

September 15, 1997
In a spellbinding narrative that skillfully weaves together cutting-edge research among today's foremost scientists, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku--author of the bestselling book Hyperspace--presents a bold, exhilarating adventure into the science of tomorrow.

In Visions, Dr. Kaku examines in vivid detail how the three scientific revolutions that profoundly reshaped the twentieth century--the quantum, biogenetic, and computer revolutions--will transform the way we live in the twenty-first century.  The fundamental elements of matter and life--the particles of the atom and the nucleus of the cell--have now been decoded, closing one of the great chapters of scientific history.  But this is just the preface to an even more far-reaching scientific revolution, as we make the transition from being passive observers of the mysteries of nature to becoming masters of nature, able to manipulate matter, life, and intelligence to remold the world around us.

In the first part of Visions, Dr.  Kaku discusses the cyber future, when millions of microprocessors are scattered throughout our environment; when the iron principle that has ruled the computer industry, Moore's Law, finally collapses, forcing scientists to adopt startling new designs like DNA computers and quantum computers; and when artificial intelligence systems finally arrive.

In the next section, Dr. Kaku shows how the decoding of DNA will allow us to conquer devastating genetic diseases, defeat many cancers at the molecular level, synthesize new medicines using virtual reality, grow new organs, conquer aging and reshape our genetic inheritance.

Finally, he explores how quantum physicists will perfect new ways to harness the cosmic energy of the universe--from molecular machines to supermagnets that may energize a second industrial revolution, to powerful fusion engines that one day may take us to the stars.

What makes Michio Kaku's vision of the future of science so compelling and authoritative is that it is based on the groundbreaking research already underway at leading laboratories around the world.  Weaving interviews with over 150 scientists--several of them Nobel laureates--into a rich, inspiring narrative, Dr. Kaku reveals the growing consensus among key scientists about how science will likely evolve through the early, middle, and late years of the twenty-first century.

An intimate, thrilling tour through the next century of science, Visions is a riveting, essential map to how scientists will reshape our future.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Take it easy: that's Michio Kaku's motto. Given the extraordinary advances science has thrown up in time for the millennium, the only way you could possibly fit them into a single volume is by a correspondingly massive simplification.

Subtitled How Science Will Revolutionize the 21st Century and Beyond, Visions assumes that, by and large, scientists get to do whatever they like, that all technologies are consumer technologies, and that consumers welcome anything and everything science throws at them. Kaku gets away with this frankly dodgy strategy by dint of sheer hard work. He has based his predictions on interviews with more than 150 renowned working scientists; he integrates these interviews with a huge body of original journalistic material; and, above all, he roots that mass of information on an entirely reasonable model of what the purpose of science will be in the third millennium. Up until now, science has expended its efforts on decoding most of the fundamental natural processes--"the dance," as Kaku puts it, of elementary particles deep inside stars and the rhythms of DNA molecules coiling and uncoiling within our bodies. Science's task now, Kaku believes, is to cross-pollinate advances thrown up by the study of matter, biology, and mind--modern science's three main theaters of endeavor. "We are now making the transition from amateur chess players to grand masters," he writes, "from observers to choreographers of nature." Then again, he also believes that "the Internet ... will eventually become a 'Magic Mirror' that appears in fairy tales, able to speak with the wisdom of the human race." Kaku, in short, deserves a good slapping--but he also deserves to be read. --Simon Ings, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

Here's another entry in the game of predicting what science and technology will come up with after the turn of the millennium, this one from a theoretical physicist. Kaku, author of Hyperspace (1994), defines his central thesis in a few words: We humans are about to make the transition ``from being passive observers of Nature to active choreographers of Nature.'' He forecasts major breakthroughs in three specific areas: computer science, molecular biology, and quantum physics. While all three of these disciplines have already had a significant impact on our daily lives, Kaku finds a broad consensus among scientists, many of whom believe that everything we have seen so far is merely a prelude to what lies in store. In particular, while the development to date of these areas of science has been marked by extreme specialization, the 21st century is likely to be an age of synergy, in which each area builds on the discoveries of the others. On a 20-year time frame, computer chips will become smaller, cheaper, and almost ubiquitous; genetic therapy will have cured many diseases, possibly including most cancers. But beyond that point, it appears that fundamental bottlenecks in both computer science and molecular biology will necessitate new breakthroughs, many of which will derive from quantum physics. This may fuel a new round of technological innovations, among them artificial intelligence (a robot in every home), tailor-made organisms (new foods and medicines), nanotechnology, and new energy sources. Kaku does not ignore the potential downside of these developments, examining such nightmare scenarios as robot killing machines fighting future wars and a revived eugenics movement. But if all goes well, says Kaku, we may well develop into a true planetary society, the first step toward making the entire universe our home. With this fascinating volume, Kaku positions himself as a worthy successor to the late Carl Sagan as a spokesman for the potential of science to revolutionize our lives. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 403 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday; 1st Anchor Books ed edition (September 15, 1997)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385484984
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385484985
  • Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michio Kaku is the co-founder of String Field Theory and is the author of international best-selling books such as Hyperspace, Visions, and Beyond Einstein. Michio Kaku is the Henry Semat Professor in Theoretical Physics at the City University of New York.

 

Customer Reviews

76 Reviews
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 (13)
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 (8)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (76 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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59 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Physicist Looks at the Future, October 28, 1998
By 
D. W. Casey (Sturbridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Superstring physicist Michio Kaku turns his eyes to the future, and sees many bright developments in the 21st century. What is really remarkable about this book is Kaku's ability to explain in a clear way how the Quantum revolution of the turn of the previous century has dramatically effected, or perhaps invented, the three great revolutions of the 20th century: computers, biotechnology, and quantum physics. Kaku is especially good in outlining his reasons for his view of the future; and gives pretty reasonable timelines for the achievement of certain goals. The book is easy for a layperson to read and understand, and gives a good overview of scientific development. Well worth reading, at times profound.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Own the Future!, January 27, 2000
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If the future seems frightening, ominous, perplexing, or in any way stressful to you, then Dr. Michio Kaku has the prescription for your affliction! Anyone who is expecting to intelligently live in the next few decades should be REQUIRED to read these clear and fascinating insights. I think very few human beings have had enough grasp to synthesize the most valid verifiable and truthful frontier information about what is going on at Planet Earth, make it accessibly simple to all of us, and yet be absolutely profound in his message. Knowledge is power. Fear not the future, own it! Buy this book, read it!
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33 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Future Predictions-Some are Dated, October 15, 2005
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
Michio Kaku, a renowned physicist, attempts to give a view of what to expect from technology and science in the near future. His predictions are based on interviews which he conducted with scientists and engineers from various fields. In making his predictions, he focuses on three fields: computers, biotechnology, and quantum physics.

First of all, please check the publication date of this book. Since this book was published in 1998, some of these predictions have already come true, and others seem a little too optimistic. In fact, while reading the computer section, it reminded me of reading pre-tech bubble Wired magazine. In other words, sometimes overly bubbly and cheery about the wonders of progress, and unwilling to deal with the dark sides of issues. Of the three sections, the one that I found enjoyable was the section on quantum mechanics, which, surprise, happens to be his area of study. I found his discussion about space exploration and cosmic phenomena to be very interesting. On the other hand, the section on computers was a little boring, and the section on biotechnology was OK. Perhaps it would be better to pick up one of Michio Kaku's books on physics rather than this one.
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First Sentence:
THREE CENTURIES AGO, Isaac Newton wrote: "...to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on a seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
biomolecular revolution, intelligent planet, molecular robots, quantum transistors, international middle class, planetary civilization, age genes, room temperature superconductors, master genes, ion engine, fusion machines, gene therapy experiments, polygenic diseases, maglev trains, quantum revolution, quantum cryptography, bio chip, quantum computer
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
United States, New York, Big Bang, Human Genome Project, Media Lab, World War, Nobel Laureate, University of California, Magic Mirror, Space Shuttle, Third World, Francis Collins, Nobel Prize, Silicon Valley, Von Neumann, Wall Street, Great Diaspora, Looking Glass, Walter Gilbert, Star Trek, Bill Gates, Brave New World, Deep Blue, Doc Brown, Freeman Dyson
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