Mindless: The Human Condition in the Machine Age

Noted British political economist Skidelsky (emeritus, Univ. of Warwick) is known for his three-volume biography about John Maynard Keynes. Inspired by “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren,” an essay Keynes published in 1930 that predicted technology would enable people to need only a 15-hour work week, he wondered how Keynes could have erred so completely. Skidelsky’s exploration traces the ever-increasing entrapment of humans by modern technology and capitalism. He argues that the internet is a gateway of knowledge, and those who control that gateway are the ones with power and money. He asserts that modern technology has led to what he calls a heaven (sufficient jobs, freedom, and more) or hell (privacy and surveillance issues or fewer jobs) relationship with machines. His book warns that technology could bring the four anthropogenic horsemen of the apocalypse: nuclear proliferation, worsening global warming, more pandemics, and network dependency. But the author also urges readers to consider the civilizations that aren’t driven by machines; they have much to teach the rest of the world.