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The Machine Age

An Idea, a History, a Warning
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( 17 ratings, 4 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 Machine Age, Robert Skidelsky examines the impact of technological advancements on society, focusing on how machines are reshaping various aspects of human life. The book delves into the economic, social, and ethical implications of automation and artificial intelligence, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to integrating technology into daily life. Skidelsky offers insights into how education systems and policy-making can adapt to these changes to improve societal well-being.
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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?

This book may appeal to you if you're intrigued by the intersection of technology and society and how machines redefine different aspects of human life. It offers insights into the ongoing evolution of the digital age, providing a comprehensive perspective on education, economics, and cultural shifts driven by technological advancements.

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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

A sweeping history of and meditation on humanity's relationship with machines, showing how we got here and what happens next.

We live in a world made by machines; their development set its beat. The Machine Age tells the story of our relationship with machines from humanity's first tools down to the present and into the future. It charts the causes and courses of technological progress across epochs, revealing its impedances and accelerants, its interactions with capital, and its ascent to the first principle of the modern era.

Tracing the promise of machines to liberate us from work and want, and the accompanying threat of redundancy and subjection from ancient times to our own, Robert Skidelsky demonstrates how our creations not only reflect our ideas and ideals but also remake them.

Taking in the peaks of philosophy and triumphs of science, the foundation of economics, and speculations of fiction, he undertakes a fascinating intellectual journey through the evolution of our understanding of technology and what this means for our lives and politics. It is an account that offers an escape from many assumptions about the potential and perils of machine learning and the technologies shaping the world now - and from the risks they pose to the future.

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 book The Machine Age by Robert Skidelsky has received acclaim for its innovative and radical perspective, offering thought-provoking insights in a refreshingly engaging manner. Reviewers commend the book for its captivating presentation, noting how it tackles complex topics with a lightness that engages readers intellectually. It is also praised for its provocative ideas that stimulate intellectual discourse, with Skidelsky recognised as a significant contributor to the revival of Keynesian thought.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241244616

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 02 November 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Allen Lane

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 35.0mm

Width: 162.0mm

Height: 240.0mm

Weight: 611g

Pages: 384

About the Author

Robert Skidelsky is Emeritus Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick. His three volume biography of John Maynard Keynes (1983, 1992, 2000) received numerous prizes, including the Lionel Gelber Prize for International Relations and the Council on Foreign Relations Prize for International Relations. He was made a life peer in 1991, and a Fellow of the British Academy in 1994.

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