
The Skeptics' Guide to the Future
What Yesterday's Science and Science Fiction Tell Us About the World of Tomorrow
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Narrated by:
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Dr. Steven Novella
From the bestselling authors and hosts of "The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe," a high-tech roadmap of the future in their beloved voice, cracking open the follies of futurists past and how technology will profoundly change our world, redefining what it means to be human.
Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, inextricably linked to our present hopes and fears, biases and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, like multi-purpose utility belts with climate control capabilities and planes the size of luxury cruise ships, or the forecasts of the ‘60s, which didn’t anticipate the sexual revolution or women’s liberation, the path to the present is littered with failed predictions and incorrect estimations. The best we can do is try to absorb the lessons from futurism's checkered past, perhaps learning to do a little better.
In THE SKEPTICS' GUIDE TO THE FUTURE, Steven Novella and his co-authors build upon the work of futurists of the past by examining what they got right, what they got wrong, and how they came to those conclusions. By exploring the pitfalls of each era, they give their own speculations about the distant future, transformed by unbelievable technology ranging from genetic manipulation to artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Applying their trademark skepticism, they carefully extrapolate upon each scientific development, leaving no stone unturned as they lay out a vision for the future.
©2022 Dr. Steven Novella (P)2022 Grand Central PublishingListeners also enjoyed...




















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Critical Thinking applied to futurism? Fantastic!
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Great book and narration
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It was full of facts, but quite simply not entertaining.
The interview at the end of the book is the type of format that could really enhance this book in the future.
Meanwhile, the book did bring back days of when I was in university in a 300 person room, listening to the professor discuss physics.
Full of facts
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fantastic!
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they highlighted several things that I had hoped for the future to be unlikely, but sneak others that are much more plausible.
I really appreciate the work these guys put into skepticism. It's helped me form a better worldview.
love the science
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Excellent
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Worth a second listen.
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I enjoyed the chapters on self-driving cars and AI less because no one knows the future constraints on them very well right now. These two felt more hand-wavy, but the chapters on space and energy sources are just wonderful.
The authors illustrate some possible futures with sci-fi vignettes. These work because they are short and well written.
Overall, it's just a very fun read. Definitely worth it.
Excellent
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Enlightening
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Just finished the book.
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