Analogia

The Emergence of Technology Beyond Programmable Control

By: George Dyson

Narrated by: Donald Corren

In Analogia, technology historian George Dyson presents a startling look back at the analog age and life before the digital revolution - and an unsettling vision of what comes next.

In 1716, the philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz spent eight days taking the cure with Peter the Great at Bad Pyrmont in Saxony, seeking to initiate a digitally-computed takeover of the world. In his classic books, Darwin Among the Machines and Turing’s Cathedral, Dyson chronicled the realization of Leibniz’s dream at the hands of a series of iconoclasts who brought his ideas to life. Now, in his pathbreaking new book, Analogia, he offers a chronicle of people who fought for the other side - the Native American leader Geronimo and physicist Leo Szilard, among them - a series of stories that will change our view not only of the past but also of the future.

The convergence of a startling historical archaeology with Dyson’s unusual personal story - set alternately in the rarified world of cutting-edge physics and computer science, in Princeton, and in the rainforest of the Northwest Coast - leads to a prophetic vision of an analog revolution already under way. We are, Dyson reveals, on the cusp of a new moment in human history, driven by a generation of machines whose powers are beyond programmable control.

©2020 George Dyson (P)2020 Recorded Books

Fascinating, but a bit disjointed.

The ideas in this book are fascinating, with deep intellectual underpinnings; but it meanders a bit too much. It’s a bit of a stretch to connect the grand ideas to the premise, but there are some very interesting tidbits.

Interesting subjects and interesting history

Great storytelling and a really interesting subject. Don’t let the subtitle scare you, the author leads you gently through several ages to set you up to receive his well made point. I think.

just go with it

You may àsk yourself, how did I get here?
George Dyson answers all the questions asked in the Talking Heads song "Once in a lifetime." And more. Lots more.

Not about computation and technology, misleading

I thught this book was about AI and history, was more about native americans and trees in British Colombia.

The first 10 and the last 10 minutes are worthy

A total waste of time. Why was this book published is a mystery ti me.