Smarter than you think
" It's undeniable-technology is changing the way we think. But is it for the better? Amid a chorus of doomsayers, Clive Thompson delivers a resounding "yes." The Internet age has produced a radical new style of human intelligence, worthy of both celebration and analysis. We learn more and retain it longer, write and think with global audiences, and even gain an ESP-like awareness of the world around us. Modern technology is making us smarter, better connected, and often deeper-both as individuals and as a society. In Smarter Than You Think Thompson shows that every technological innovation-from the written word to the printing press to the telegraph-has provoked the very same anxieties that plague us today. We panic that life will never be the same, that our attentions are eroding, that culture is being trivialized. But as in the past, we adapt-learning to use the new and retaining what's good of the old. Thompson introduces us to a cast of extraordinary characters who augment their minds in inventive ways. There's the seventy-six-year old millionaire who digitally records his every waking moment-giving him instant recall of the events and ideas of his life, even going back decades. There's a group of courageous Chinese students who mounted an online movement that shut down a $1.6 billion toxic copper plant.
Stats for nerds
2recommend
5mentions
5people
2014–2023years
40% recommend60% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Why don't more people see this capability as an accelerator and/or amplifier? To borrow from the book "Smarter Than You Think" by Clive Thompson, it can turn us into "centaurs", fusing the minds of humans with the computing power of AI.
Doesn't this show that we can now use this technology to generate and execute code for modest problems that have already been solved, while we can spend more time on even more complex problems?
- This comment is a repeat of many similar comments on older technologies. I don't mean to say the sentiment is wrong, but technological assistance in small ways can potentially lead to a bigger impact. A book I'd recommend that relates to this topic is Smarter Than You Think which put a lot of this stuff in perspective for me.
- When historian Charles Weiner looked over a pile of Richard Feynman’s notebooks, he called them a wonderful ‘record of his day-to-day work’.
“No, no!”, Feynman objected strongly.
“They aren’t a record of my thinking process. They are my thinking process. I actually did the work on the paper.”
“Well,” Weiner said, “The work was done in your head, but the record of it is still here.”
“No, it’s not a record, not really. It’s working. You have to work on paper and this is the paper. Okay?”, Feynman explained.
From Smarter Than You Think by Clive Thompson
- Animals are far smarter than you think, and instinct is far less important than you think. Most animals learn by imitation of their parents or others of their own species. This is a big part of why reintroduction of captive animal populations into the wild is so difficult.
And adaptability is highly variable by species; koalas will for quickly without their specific eucalyptus, but raccoons will thrive just about anywhere.
As I've read and researched, I've come much closer to the opinion that we're slightly smarter monkeys with writing.
- I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.
= Jan =
Smarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3
The positives of tech and the internet.
= Feb =
Super Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4
Science fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.
= Mar =
The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3
Had never read this series, thought it might be about time.
= Apr =
What does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)
An introduction to Philosophy.
Earth - David Brin 5+
Science fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.
SlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5
Semi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.
= May =
Nick Cohen - What’s Left? 4
Account of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.
= June =
Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+
Plato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.
= July =
The Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4
Novel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.
Believing Bullshit - Stephen Law 4
Book detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.
= August =
36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3
Novel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.
= September =
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3
Think I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.
Kafka - The Trial 5
Really good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.
= October =
= November =
Existence - David Brin 3
Not as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.
= December =
Alone Together - Sherry Turtle 4
The negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.
Imperium - Robert Harris 5
First in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.
Also currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.
