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    Unnatural Selection: Why the Geeks Will Inherit the Earth
    Unnatural Selection: Why the Geeks Will Inherit the Earth
    Unnatural Selection: Why the Geeks Will Inherit the Earth
    Ebook356 pages4 hours

    Unnatural Selection: Why the Geeks Will Inherit the Earth

    By Mark Roeder

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    Unnatural Selection is the first book to examine the rise of the "technocentric being"or geekwho personifies a distinct new phase in human evolution. People considered geeks often have behavioral or genetic traits that were previously considered detrimental. But the new environment of the Anthropocene periodthe Age of Manhas created a kind of digital greenhouse that actually favors their traits, enabling many non-neurotypical people to bloom. They resonate with the technological Zeitgeist in a way that turns their weaknesses into strengths. Think of Mark Zuckerberg versus the towering, Olympics-bound Winklevoss twins in the movie Social Network.

    Roeder suggests that the rise of the geek is not so much the product of Darwinian "natural selection" as of man-madeor unnaturalselection. He explains why geeks have become so phenomenally successful in such a short time and why the process will further accelerate, driven by breakthroughs in genetic engineering, neuropharmacology, and artificial intelligence. His book offers a fascinating synthesis of the latest trends in these fields and predicts a twenty-first century "cognitive arms race" in which new technology will enable everyone to become more intelligent and "geek-like."
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcade
    Release dateOct 14, 2014
    ISBN9781628724806
    Unnatural Selection: Why the Geeks Will Inherit the Earth
    Author

    Mark Roeder

    Mark Roeder is an author and cultural commentator whose first book was THE BIG MO (2011). He has a master's degree in business and technology and has worked as a global executive on numerous technology projects for large corporations. Mark divides his time between Sydney and Switzerland.

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      We live on a finite planet. Geeks, like all other human beings, don't have access to an infinite amount of resources to create and deploy their toys. Geeks are also made of flesh and blood and their faith in technology is based on the false belief that humans can magically transcend their vulnerability as a species that is subject to the forces of life: sickness, decay, death. We are both an incredibly intelligent and an incredibly stupid species. We like to think that we're superior to the rest of nature, but we are not. So, geeks will continue to try to exploit the natural world, but in the end will create misery not only for the rest of humanity but for themselves as well. In the end, the only thing that geeks need is a sense of belonging, connection to the natural world and a sense of meaning. The drive to dominate and control is unsustainable.

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    Unnatural Selection - Mark Roeder

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