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The Handover

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( 205 ratings, 26 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In The Handover by David Runciman, the author explores the concept of how power is transferred between generations, examining the current political landscape against the backdrop of emerging challenges like climate change and technological advancements. Runciman delves into the implications of passing leadership to younger generations while questioning the readiness and adaptability of both the outgoing and incoming leaders to address the urgent issues facing the world today.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this insightful book if you're interested in the dynamic and contentious landscape of political power transitions during times of technological and societal change. It offers a thoughtful analysis of how current events might shape future political leadership globally, making it ideal for those keen on understanding the intricate relationship between political shifts and modern challenges.

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Does it matter if we are ceding power to AI? Especially if we have been there before.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The Singularity is what Silicon Valley calls the idea that, eventually, we will be overrun by machines that are able to take decisions and act for themselves. What no one says is that it happened before.

A few hundred years ago, humans started building the robots that now rule our world. They are called states and corporations: immensely powerful artificial entities, with capacities that go far beyond what any individual can do, and which, unlike us, need never die.

They have made us richer, safer and healthier than would have seemed possible even a few generations ago - and they may yet destroy us. The Handover distils over three hundred years of thinking about how to live with artificial agency.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Handover by David Runciman is noted for its incisive writing and engaging style. Reviewers have praised Runciman’s ability to articulate complex political ideas with clarity and insight. His work is refreshingly unorthodox, inviting readers to critically engage with differing perspectives.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781805220015

Publisher: Profile Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 September 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Profile Books Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 416g

Pages: 336

About the Author

David Runciman is Professor of Politics at Cambridge University and the former Head of the Department of Politics and International Studies. His previous books for Profile include Confronting Leviathan, Where Power Stops and How Democracy Ends. He writes regularly about politics for the London Review of Books and hosted the widely acclaimed weekly podcast Talking Politics.

Also by David Runciman

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  • How Democracy Ends
    Scintillating ... thought-provoking ... one of the very best of the great crop of recent books on the subject. - Observer Democracy has died hundreds of times, all over the world. We think we know what that looks like: chaos descends and the military arrives to restore order, until the people can be trusted to look after their own affairs...
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  • Political Hypocrisy
    What kind of hypocrite should voters choose as their next leader? The question seems utterly cynical. However, as David Runciman suggests, it is actually much more cynical to pretend that politics can ever be completely sincere. Political Hypocrisy is a timely and timeless book on the problems of sincerity and truth in politics, and how we can deal with them...
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  • The History of Ideas
    In this bold new follow-up to Confronting Leviathan, David Runciman unmasks modern politics and reveals the great men and women of ideas behind it. What can Samuel Butler's ideas teach us about the oddity of how we choose to organise our societies? How did Frederick Douglass not only expose the horrors of slavery, but champion a new approach to abolishing...
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  • Confronting Leviathan
    Bracingly intelligent ... a wonderful read - Guardian Incredibly timely ... presented [with] wonderful elegance and clarity - Irish Times Based on the History Of Ideas podcast series by Talking Politics host David Runciman, Confronting Leviathan explores some of the most important thinkers and prominent ideas lying behind modern politics - from Hobbes to Gandhi, from democracy to patriarchy, and...
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  • The History of Ideas
    * THE TIMES BEST IDEAS BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2024 * 'A splendid book: economical, invigorating and surprising' - The Times 'He has that gift, both as a podcaster and as a writer, to illuminate abstruse and abstract ideas with human charm' - Observer In this bold new follow-up to Confronting Leviathan, David Runciman unmasks modern politics and reveals the...
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  • Politics: Ideas in Profile
    Ideas in Profile: Small Introductions to Big Topics In the first title of an exciting new series, one of the world's leading political scientists asks the big questions about politics: what is it, why do we need it, and where, in these turbulent times, is it heading? From the gap between rich and poor to the impact of social media,...
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  • The History of Ideas
    'A splendid book: economical, invigorating and surprising' - The Times 'He has that gift, both as a podcaster and as a writer, to illuminate abstruse and abstract ideas with human charm' - Observer In this bold new follow-up to Confronting Leviathan, David Runciman unmasks modern politics and reveals the great men and women of ideas behind it. What can Samuel...
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