The Skeptics' Guide to the Future

The Skeptics Guide to the Future, a new book by the bestselling authors and hosts of The Skeptics Guide to the Universe, examines failed predictions and incorrect estimations of the past to speculate about the distant future, transformed by technology.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 432 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2023
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

The new book from the bestselling authors and hosts of the wildly popular The Skeptics Guide to the Universe is now available! Our predictions of the future are a wild fantasy, intricately linked to our present hopes and fears, biases, and ignorance. Whether they be the outlandish leaps predicted in the 1920s, such as 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 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 of tomorrow.

Weight: 306g
Dimension: 129 x 198 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399706735