Imagined Worlds (The Jerusalem-Harvard Lectures) (Paperback)

by Freeman Dyson (Author)
Key Phrases: subcritical universe, ice ponds, United States, Lord Thompson, Samuel Gompers (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
With the millennium approaching, we can expect a glut of books about life in the 21st century and beyond. For Dyson, though, making predictions is nothing new. Over some 40 years, the honored physicist has written voluminously on future possibilities. The five longish essays in this collection explore future scenarios around the themes of "Stories," "Science," "Technology," "Evolution," and "Ethics." Probably the boldest predictions are in "Evolution," where Dyson looks ahead at several intervals, from ten years to infinity. Among other things, he envisions space colonization, galactic engineering projects, and the evolution of collective consciousness. As intriguing and readable as this book is, many of its ideas can be found in his other works (e.g., From Eros to Gaia, LJ 7/92). Libraries already owning a sampling of his writings can consider this an optional purchase. [Dyson is the father of computer guru Esther Dyson, and his son George is the author of Darwin Among the Machines, out this May from Helix.?Ed.]?Gregg Sapp, Univ. of Miami Lib., Coral Gables, Fl.
-?Gregg Sapp, Univ. of Miami Lib., Coral Gables, Fl.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Thanks to new technologies, researchers can see much farther into the galaxies, much deeper into the genetic structure of life, and more clearly into the heart of the atom than ever before. But envisioning our cultural future still requires the kind of probing, reflective human imagination we see at work in these pages. As this distinguished scientist contemplates a world in which genetic engineers create superbabies and pet dinosaurs, in which space colonies raise potatoes on Mars, in which radiotelepathy allows humans to communicate with dolphins and eagles, he weighs fear against hope. He fears that technological advances may exacerbate existing social inequities, so provoking conflict and violence. But he hopes that ethical progress will keep pace with science, making possible a future of universal prosperity and cooperation. With a rare breadth of literary and historical knowledge and with a wonderful lucidity of style, Dyson converts science from the intellectual property of specialists into a meaningful concern for everyone with a stake in our cultural future. Bryce Christensen --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674539095
• ISBN-13: 978-0674539099
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #508,176 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dyson's ideas on a grand future for Humankind., March 16, 1999

By	Mr. Martin John Smith "Tanuki" (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Freeman Dyson is an English American Physicist. His book, "Imagined Worlds" was borne from a series of lectures given in 1995. Throughout it's short 208 pages, Dyson has written a collection of insights into the possible futures for science and technology, and while easily accessible to a broad spectrum of readers it remains intellectually stimulating and thought provoking

Spawned from a truly remarkable imagination, some of those futures stretch far into timescapes populated by descendants who may be as unrecognizable to us as we might be to them. Where humankind has spread itself throughout the galaxy and joined in an alliance with other sentient beings. In the not so distant future, Dyson envisages the human colonization of Mars, DIY genetics where a child may be able to design their next pet, and how humankind (and animals) might one day be networked together at the mental level using a technology he calls "radio-telepathy".

Dyson has also included the past as an example of how we can begin to plan for these fantastic futures, emphasizing how the most successful technologies have started with humble beginnings and why a lot of the big, government sponsored, ideologically driven science is usually destined to failure. He effectively employs historical instances to illustrate his point.

From the disastrous failure of the British Airship the R101, the similarly inspired and equally calamitous BOAC Comet, through to the environmental nightmare that was (and still is!) Chernobyl. All were the result of the `Napoleonic' or politically driven technologies.

Numerous historical examples are supplied to also demonstrate how "Tolstoyan" technologies, shining ideas brought to life in garages, backyards or small labs with lean funding and scarce resources are the source of the great majority of breakthroughs. One such example validates this by pointing out that a lot of the groundwork done in the field of particle physics was accomplished with improvised devices by a dedicated group of scientists. Now with drastically reduced funding, he proposes that this is the way forward for future discoveries and applications.

Most notably, his guidelines stress the importance of science as a vehicle to provide for the wellbeing of all peoples, not only a select few. Additionally while we must be ever watchful of the unethical or immoral applications of new technologies, we are also to be careful not to shackle human self-improvement with ignorance and fear.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As Always, Dyson Challenges Humanity to Think More Broadly, May 19, 2004

By	Roger D. Launius "Historian" (Washington, D.C., United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Freeman Dyson is one of the most respected physicists and futurists in the United States. In this captivating book, based on a set of lectures he gave at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1995, Dyson explores possible futures in science, technology, evolution, and ethics. He argues that science and technology are offering the human race a myriad of exciting prospects, but that there are enormous challenges in harnessing them effectively. For example, he characterizes much of our most celebrated scientific and technological accomplishments as "ideologically driven" and therefore of lesser long-term value than intended. While they might boost national pride, they are too expensive and benefit too small a community to have significant effect on humanity. Ideologically driven technologies, furthermore, tend to leapfrog the type of rigorous experimentation so valuable in creating spin-off technologies of benefit to all.

Dyson is at his best when analyzing the ethical dimension of these technologies and what they portend for the future. Dyson offers this assessment: "Many of the technologies that are racing ahead most rapidly, replacing human workers in factories and machines, making stock-holders richer and workers poorer, are indeed tending to accentuate the existing inequalities in the distribution of wealth" (pp. 181-82). An object lesson is the proliferation of computer technology and the Internet. According to Dyson, since the poor have access neither to computers nor the Internet, and since jobs are increasingly being advertised on-line, they now no longer have access to many jobs. In this context, Dyson cries out for a commitment to social justice that would help mediate the widening gap between rich and poor. He also suggests that in the United States the commitment to "free market capitalism" is an ideology that has driven much technological development, playing as it does to the elites who can afford the technologies, to the detriment of humanity as a whole. It is a pointed, well-meaning warning for the future.

Dyson also seeks to look into the distant future, offering a fascinating portrait of what he calls the "seven ages of man." Here Dyson looks ahead at several levels, from ten years to infinity. First, looking out ten years he sees a time-scale with which are all familiar and one that dominates everyone's planning. In that decade we will see the rise of biotechnology and other breakthroughs just becoming a part of civilization's consciousness. Second, he looks out one hundred years and suggests that we can reasonably extrapolate from what is presently taking place. Here he sees humanity moving outward into space and grappling with numerous environmental issues on Earth. Third, one thousand years in the future humanity will have populate the Solar System and probably our corner of the Milky Way. But neither politics nor technology is predictable. Fourth, at ten thousand years Homo Sapiens will have evolved into a variety of subspecies or perhaps ceased to exist at all. Fifth, at one hundred thousand years we can only speculate on an entirely different civilization than anything imagined today. Sixth, at one million years in the future Dyson asks questions about life and its quality but is totally nonunderstandable to us. Seventh, Dyson explores the nature of infinity and the death of universe.

What does the future hold? No one knows for sure but Freeman Dyson offers a compelling set of possibilities in "Imagined Worlds." He quotes from Samuel L. Gompers, founder of the American Federation of Labor, that this is what should happen in the future:
"We want more school houses and less jails,
More books and less guns,
More Learning and less greed,
More justice and less revenge,
We want more opportunities to cultivate our better nature" (p. 177).

Dyson believes this is fully achievable. If we can imagine it, we can accomplish it. This is a most uplifting and challenging read. Enjoy!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Dyson. Need I say more?, August 30, 2000

By	Adam Rutkowski (Frankfurt, Germany) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There is little more fascinating then reading the thoughts of great minds. Dyson has seen and done much in his lifetime, and the chance to receive some of his wisdom should not be passed up.

This is a collection of ideas and thoughts (taken from a set of lectures), that cover a lot of ground, but are loosely based around the impact of science on society, how it can be abused when misused, but more importantly, some of the opportunities it offers us for the future if we use it well.

My only criticism on this book is its shortness. At just over two hundred rather spaced out pages, there is sadly a shortage of content, which is a great shame since Dyson clearly has a lot of ideas worth sharing. But I suppose that these are the ideas he wants to share the most, and by keeping it brief, he allows us to focus on them better, without being sidetracked by less important information.

While readable by just about anyone, those with some basic familiarity with science will get more out of it, while scientists will probably appreciate it even more. This book is more about the application of science then science itself, so understanding the science in it allows the reader to concentrate on what Dyson really wants to say.