Introduction Stories Science Technology Evolution Ethics Bibliographical Notes Index
Freeman Dyson is one of the true geniuses of our age. His latest book, full of wry wit and profound wisdom, will be of absorbing interest to anyone concerned with the future happiness, and indeed survival, of the human race. -- Arthur C. Clarke Broadly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and wise, Freeman Dyson the humanist and physicist outlines here futures for the scientific enterprise--ten, one hundred, ten thousand, and a million years from now. Although not a fan of futurology, I found Imagined Worlds fascinating. -- Lynn Margulis Freeman Dyson's Imagined Worlds confirms his reputation as one of the world's clearest and most sagacious critics of science and technology--and it's a delight to read as well. -- Timothy Ferris
Freeman Dyson is Professor Emeritus in the School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.
This is an extraordinary book, written in the wisdom of old age but
with the hopeful courage of a man whose commitment to science, if
not necessarily to its products, has kept him young.
*The New Yorker*
Imagined Worlds makes illuminating criticisms of what [Dyson] calls
'ideologically driven' technologies, which, because they symbolize
national pride, are obliged to succeed...Ideologically driven
technologies, Dyson argues, discourage the rigorous experimentation
without which no technology can properly evolve.
*New York Review of Books*
Freeman Dyson is one of the last survivors of the heroic age of
theoretical physics and contributed greatly to the standard theory
of quantum electrodynamics. However...he does not suffer from
tunnel vision. His imagination embraces the entire cosmos and all
the possibilities of future technology...Imagined Worlds is one of
those mind-stretching books that any intelligent reader can
enjoy.
*Times Higher Education Supplement*
Dyson has a startlingly profound imagination, a willingness to take
ideas as far as they can possibly go...In this book he provides a
fascinatingly plausible view of artificial telepathy. He has helped
to design extraordinary spaceships and advised the Pentagon on wild
(and no doubt occasionally woolly) weapons. Best of all, from the
science-fiction writer's point of view, he admires science-fiction
writers. This book is, in part, a tribute to science-fiction; it is
an attempt not to predict the future, but rather, through
imagination, to bring some of its potential to life.
*Nature*
In his new volume, Imagined Worlds, Freeman Dyson, following in the
tradition of two of his heroes, novelist H. G. Wells and biologist
J. B. S. Haldane, gives us a cautionary vision of where science and
technology are taking us in the next century...Dyson's book is a
fascinating romp through possible futures.
*Natural History*
[A] remarkable book.
*London Review of Books*
Dyson, not just a distinguished scientist, but a fine writer about
science...has produced a fascinating speculative work about future
scientific developments--near- and far-future--and their likely
impact on us.
*Toronto Globe & Mail*
[Dyson] constantly surprises and challenges us with his
views...[His] independence of mind and his learning make his views
on the future well worth reading. At first sight, Imagined Worlds
may seem thin and insubstantial, but it actually contains more
rewarding insights than most books 10 times its length.
*Sunday Telegraph*
[A] marvellous little book.
*The Guardian (Manchester, England)*
One of the books I enjoyed most last year...was Freeman Dyson's
Imagined Worlds, in which the famed Princeton scientist speculated
on the likely evolution of humanity over the next 10, 100, 1,000
10,000, 100,000 and 1 million years...Imagined Worlds...deserves to
be read for its elegance and sagacity.
*Financial Times [UK]*
As well as mind-boggling speculations [on our future], Imagined
Worlds includes some good discussions of how science and technology
relate to politics and ethics...The future? Freeman Dyson has it
figured out.
*Washington Post Book World*
A leading scientist speculates on far-future scientific
developments and their possible impact on the human condition.
Dyson points out that our culture has apparently lost its
long-range vision. Drawing on a fascinating cross-section of
scientific and technological history, the professor emeritus at
Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study lays the groundwork for a
longer view...At every turn, he illustrates his subject with
reference to a wide range of writers and philosophers, making the
book a delight to read. Essential reading for anyone who looks
beyond the coming millennium.
*Kirkus Reviews*
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...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.
*Booklist*
[I]ntriguing and readable.
*Library Journal*
Freeman Dyson is an expert rambler. Four or five digressions into
an essay, just as you think he's lost his trail, he finds it again
around the next bend...[He] describes himself as a 'problem
solver,' drawn butterfly-like to nuclear energy, rocket propulsion,
quantum electrodynamics, and astronomy, among other fields. This
propensity serves his readers well. Dyson is not merely a scientist
who can write but a scientist who thinks like a writer. In Imagined
Worlds, he trains his thoughts on the world that science and
technology are creating, showing how 'Tolstoyan science' (small and
cheap) is preferable to 'Napoleonic science' (big and
expensive).
*Discover*
Freeman Dyson...[is] brilliant and admirable: a physicist (now
retired) of considerable accomplishment and a storyteller of
delightful humanity and skill.
*Washington Times*
The world needs the kind of wisdom that Freeman Dyson has
accumulated after a lifetime of theoretical physics at Cambridge
and Princeton, and his contributions to the nuclear test ban
treaty.
*New Statesman*
One of the more daring theories in today's cosmology is that at the
creation of our universe an infinite number of others were also
brought into being, but that none can communicate with any other.
Be that as it may, whenever I am in the presence of Freeman Dyson,
a physicist and professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced
Studies in Princeton, I have the uncanny feeling that he is able,
after all, to look around the corner into some of those other
worlds from which we are cut off. Dyson claims to be a mathematical
physicist interested in anatomy. But from his many writings, we
know better. He is interested in any question whatever that might
have a scientific solution, and in any imaginative idea that may
help to anticipate the future...[E]ven while readers will disagree
with this or that point, they will also most likely be swept up by
the ambitious scope of the book, and Dyson's unwavering belief that
our benighted species can improve.
*Boston Sunday Globe*
[A]n engaging work that combines science (`my territory') and
science fiction ('the landscape of my dreams'). Dyson ponders the
triumphs and failures of scientists, using real and imagined
stories--from the ill-fated Comet jetliner of 1952 to the
technological nightmares of H.G. Wells and Huxley--to illustrate
the dangers that surface when political ideology and science
mix...Mostly this is a reminder that human consequences and human
scale must be considered in the application of science and
technology...Dyson's use of science fiction to illustrate and
evaluate scientific fact is a refreshing and illuminating tool.
*Publishers Weekly*
Freeman Dyson is one of the true geniuses of our age. His latest
book, full of wry wit and profound wisdom, will be of absorbing
interest to anyone concerned with the future happiness, and indeed
survival, of the human race.
*Arthur C. Clarke*
Broadly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and wise, Freeman Dyson the
humanist and physicist outlines here futures for the scientific
enterprise--ten, one hundred, ten thousand, and a million years
from now. Although not a fan of futurology, I found Imagined Worlds
fascinating.
*Lynn Margulis*
Freeman Dyson's Imagined Worlds confirms his reputation as one of
the world's clearest and most sagacious critics of science and
technology--and it's a delight to read as well.
*Timothy Ferris*
This is an extraordinary book, written in the wisdom of old age but
with the hopeful courage of a man whose commitment to science, if
not necessarily to its products, has kept him young. * The New
Yorker *
Imagined Worlds makes illuminating criticisms of what
[Dyson] calls 'ideologically driven' technologies, which, because
they symbolize national pride, are obliged to
succeed...Ideologically driven technologies, Dyson argues,
discourage the rigorous experimentation without which no technology
can properly evolve. -- Timothy Ferris * New York Review of Books
*
Freeman Dyson is one of the last survivors of the heroic age of
theoretical physics and contributed greatly to the standard theory
of quantum electrodynamics. However...he does not suffer from
tunnel vision. His imagination embraces the entire cosmos and all
the possibilities of future technology...Imagined Worlds is
one of those mind-stretching books that any intelligent reader can
enjoy. -- Arthur C. Clarke * Times Higher Education Supplement
*
Dyson has a startlingly profound imagination, a willingness to take
ideas as far as they can possibly go...In this book he provides a
fascinatingly plausible view of artificial telepathy. He has helped
to design extraordinary spaceships and advised the Pentagon on wild
(and no doubt occasionally woolly) weapons. Best of all, from the
science-fiction writer's point of view, he admires science-fiction
writers. This book is, in part, a tribute to science-fiction; it is
an attempt not to predict the future, but rather, through
imagination, to bring some of its potential to life. -- Oliver
Morton * Nature *
In his new volume, Imagined Worlds, Freeman Dyson, following
in the tradition of two of his heroes, novelist H. G. Wells and
biologist J. B. S. Haldane, gives us a cautionary vision of where
science and technology are taking us in the next century...Dyson's
book is a fascinating romp through possible futures. -- Steven J.
Dick * Natural History *
[A] remarkable book. -- John Leslie * London Review of Books *
Dyson, not just a distinguished scientist, but a fine writer about
science...has produced a fascinating speculative work about future
scientific developments--near- and far-future--and their likely
impact on us. * Toronto Globe & Mail *
[Dyson] constantly surprises and challenges us with his
views...[His] independence of mind and his learning make his views
on the future well worth reading. At first sight, Imagined
Worlds may seem thin and insubstantial, but it actually
contains more rewarding insights than most books 10 times its
length. -- Graham Farmelo * Sunday Telegraph *
[A] marvellous little book. -- Tim Radford * The Guardian
(Manchester, England) *
One of the books I enjoyed most last year...was Freeman Dyson's
Imagined Worlds, in which the famed Princeton scientist
speculated on the likely evolution of humanity over the next 10,
100, 1,000 10,000, 100,000 and 1 million years...Imagined
Worlds...deserves to be read for its elegance and sagacity. --
Michael Thompson-Noel * Financial Times [UK] *
As well as mind-boggling speculations [on our future], Imagined
Worlds includes some good discussions of how science and
technology relate to politics and ethics...The future? Freeman
Dyson has it figured out. -- Rudy Rucker * Washington Post Book
World *
A leading scientist speculates on far-future scientific
developments and their possible impact on the human condition.
Dyson points out that our culture has apparently lost its
long-range vision. Drawing on a fascinating cross-section of
scientific and technological history, the professor emeritus at
Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study lays the groundwork for a
longer view...At every turn, he illustrates his subject with
reference to a wide range of writers and philosophers, making the
book a delight to read. Essential reading for anyone who looks
beyond the coming millennium. * Kirkus Reviews *
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...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. * Booklist *
[I]ntriguing and readable. * Library Journal *
Freeman Dyson is an expert rambler. Four or five digressions into
an essay, just as you think he's lost his trail, he finds it again
around the next bend...[He] describes himself as a 'problem
solver,' drawn butterfly-like to nuclear energy, rocket propulsion,
quantum electrodynamics, and astronomy, among other fields. This
propensity serves his readers well. Dyson is not merely a scientist
who can write but a scientist who thinks like a writer. In
Imagined Worlds, he trains his thoughts on the world that
science and technology are creating, showing how 'Tolstoyan
science' (small and cheap) is preferable to 'Napoleonic science'
(big and expensive). * Discover *
Freeman Dyson...[is] brilliant and admirable: a physicist (now
retired) of considerable accomplishment and a storyteller of
delightful humanity and skill. -- Philip Gold * Washington Times
*
The world needs the kind of wisdom that Freeman Dyson has
accumulated after a lifetime of theoretical physics at Cambridge
and Princeton, and his contributions to the nuclear test ban
treaty. -- Colin Tudge * New Statesman *
One of the more daring theories in today's cosmology is that at the
creation of our universe an infinite number of others were also
brought into being, but that none can communicate with any other.
Be that as it may, whenever I am in the presence of Freeman Dyson,
a physicist and professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced
Studies in Princeton, I have the uncanny feeling that he is able,
after all, to look around the corner into some of those other
worlds from which we are cut off. Dyson claims to be a mathematical
physicist interested in anatomy. But from his many writings, we
know better. He is interested in any question whatever that might
have a scientific solution, and in any imaginative idea that may
help to anticipate the future...[E]ven while readers will disagree
with this or that point, they will also most likely be swept up by
the ambitious scope of the book, and Dyson's unwavering belief that
our benighted species can improve. -- Gerald Holton * Boston Sunday
Globe *
[A]n engaging work that combines science (`my territory') and
science fiction ('the landscape of my dreams'). Dyson ponders the
triumphs and failures of scientists, using real and imagined
stories--from the ill-fated Comet jetliner of 1952 to the
technological nightmares of H.G. Wells and Huxley--to illustrate
the dangers that surface when political ideology and science
mix...Mostly this is a reminder that human consequences and human
scale must be considered in the application of science and
technology...Dyson's use of science fiction to illustrate and
evaluate scientific fact is a refreshing and illuminating tool. *
Publishers Weekly *
Freeman Dyson is one of the true geniuses of our age. His latest
book, full of wry wit and profound wisdom, will be of absorbing
interest to anyone concerned with the future happiness, and indeed
survival, of the human race. -- Arthur C. Clarke
Broadly knowledgeable, thoughtful, and wise, Freeman Dyson the
humanist and physicist outlines here futures for the scientific
enterprise--ten, one hundred, ten thousand, and a million years
from now. Although not a fan of futurology, I found Imagined
Worlds fascinating. -- Lynn Margulis
Freeman Dyson's Imagined Worlds confirms his reputation as
one of the world's clearest and most sagacious critics of science
and technology--and it's a delight to read as well. -- Timothy
Ferris
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.
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