by George Dyson
First published 1999
George Dyson examines the three-way competition between humans, nature, and machines in the ongoing game of evolution. He positions himself as an advocate for nature while acknowledging that nature itself may favor machines in this contest. Dyson frames contemporary developments in information networks within a broader historical sweep, tracing connections from antiquarian thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, Erasmus Darwin, and Gottfried Leibniz to current research in neural networks and artificial intelligence. Drawing its title from Samuel Butler's 1863 essay, the book presents this evolutionary struggle as an intricate dance between different forms of intelligence. Dyson brings his distinctive perspective to bear on how machines and natural systems interact, offering readers a lens through which to understand the development of global intelligence networks.
Genres: evolution, non-fiction, 21st-century, artificial-intelligence, biology, history-of-science
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction, informative
Period: 19th-century, 20th-century, 21st-century
286 pages · Paperback · Penguin