Douglas Robertson knows perfectly well that trying to predict the future is difficult enough at any time. In a period of extreme technological change, with great social change fast on its heels, accurate prediction is a dice toss at best. But that doesn't stop him from trying to convey the scope of changes coming. In The New Renaissance, Robertson begins by looking at how previous, pivotal communications advancements have remade society. He considers, for example, the revolutions that came about with the creations of language, writing, and printing. He argues that advances in scientific theory--from mathematics to cosmology--have transformed our world. He then demonstrates the increasing rate of transformation brought on by computers and concludes that the computer revolution may be the most dramatic of them all. Finally, he looks at some of the potential problems tomorrow's civilization may have to solve, while admitting that some of his speculations should be taken with a grain of salt. Will the world of dance, for example, ever be dominated by computer-generated performers of infinite grace? Perhaps not. But Robertson's goal is not to showcase the true future so much as to demonstrate the level of change coming. In that regard, he provides ample food for thought. --Elizabeth Lewis
How significant is the computer revolution? Even more important, University of Colorado geological studies professor Robertson urges, than language, writing, and printing, three earlier inventions with which he contrasts it. Just as those new methods of capturing, storing, and delivering information profoundly changed civilization, the astonishing capabilities of computers will radically restructure science and mathematics, education, the arts, and everyday life. In one chapter, Robertson indulges his fondness for abstract mathematics with a formula-laden description of "uncomputable numbers," but his other chapters offer straightforward analysis of the probable impact of computers on specific disciplines and practical functions. Some of Robertson's suggestions are likely to be controversial: for example, he proposes changes in language and a shift from decimal to quartal (not binary) numeration. Not an essential acquisition, this should appeal to readers seeking a fairly realistic advance glimpse of the lay of the land on the other end of that bridge to the twenty-first century. Mary Carroll
Review
"A beautifully thoughtful discussion of the monumental conceptual and social revolution taking place because of the computer."―Gregory Chaitin, author of The Limits of Mathematics
"This book presents exciting perks of this renaissance as well as valid concerns about the fallout that such a revolution brings. These are ideas pertinent to everyone." ―Anne Hanahan, The Post and Courier
About the Author
Douglas S. Robertson is an adjunct professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, a fellow of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and a member of the Colorado Center for Chaos and Complexity, all at the University of Colorado. He lives in Longmont.
