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103rd out of 285 books
—
182 voters
What Is Your Dangerous Idea?: Today's Leading Thinkers on the Unthinkable
by
John Brockman ,
Richard Dawkins (Goodreads Author), Steven Pinker
From Copernicus to Darwin, to current-day thinkers, scientists have always promoted theories and unveiled discoveries that challenge everything society holds dear; ideas with both positive and dire consequences. Many thoughts that resonate today are dangerous not because they are assumed to be false, but because they might turn out to be true.
What do the world's leading sc...more
What do the world's leading sc...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
March 13th 2007
by Harper Perennial
(first published January 1st 2007)
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1,272)
Jun 15, 2013
Taede Smedes
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
popular-science
John Brockman is uitgever en oprichter van de website Edge (www.edge.org). Op deze site verschijnen regelmatig bijdragen van wetenschappers die de rol op zich nemen van intellectuelen, die zich niet alleen beperken tot hun eigen vakgebied, maar ook de sociaal-culturele relevantie van wetenschap voor het voetlicht brengen. Jaarlijks organiseert Brockman het “World Question Center” op Edge, waarbij een bepaalde vraag centraal staat. In 2006 werd de vraag gesteld door de psycholoog Steven Pinker: W...more
from the library
I was mostly bored. I read with great anticipation because I was wating for something dangerous or at least really new. I only got to p192 out of 301pages so maybe there is still something there.
from the library computer:
Book News
This provocative compilation includes responses to the annual question on the Edge Web site regarding ideas that might be considered dangerous. Contributors include the human genome's decoder, a physicist on reducing global climate change via engineerin...more
I was mostly bored. I read with great anticipation because I was wating for something dangerous or at least really new. I only got to p192 out of 301pages so maybe there is still something there.
from the library computer:
Book News
This provocative compilation includes responses to the annual question on the Edge Web site regarding ideas that might be considered dangerous. Contributors include the human genome's decoder, a physicist on reducing global climate change via engineerin...more
One hundred eight writers, most of them scientists and academics, contributed to this book. There are well-known people like Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins, Helen Fisher, and Jared Diamond and lesser-know people. As can be expected, the short essays, ranging from one to five pages each, vary in interest. But many of the essays examine fascinating ideas that may challenge our beliefs and the status quo (hence, their danger).
Daniel Golman, for instance, notes the difference between having a disc...more
Daniel Golman, for instance, notes the difference between having a disc...more
Nov 10, 2011
James
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
culture-and-politics,
general-science-math-technology,
death-dying-killing-bereavement,
spirituality-and-or-religion,
computers,
economics,
entertainment-and-recreation,
environment-and-earth-sciences,
health-care-healing-and-wellness,
history,
management-and-business,
justice-system,
psychology
A mixed bag, but well worth reading. This is a collection of over 100 short-to-very-short essays by leading thinkers in a variety of fields, about both their interpretations of what would constitute a dangerous idea and what specific ideas they think qualify.
Quite a few were intriguing and seemed dead on as far as their potential impact on society in general or on subsets such as scientific disciplines, politics, or industries. There were a number that I thought didn't deserve inclusion because...more
Quite a few were intriguing and seemed dead on as far as their potential impact on society in general or on subsets such as scientific disciplines, politics, or industries. There were a number that I thought didn't deserve inclusion because...more
If you want thought-provoking ideas, this book surely delivers them magnificently; in fact, some ideas can be downright mind-boggling and even incomprehensible. Some do not seem dangerous at all, and some will certainly raise a lot of eyebrows. Some are explained almost in scientific rigour, and some are dispensed in just a short paragraph.
All in all, this book is a very good one to get you thinking about ideas that you did not realize are even able to be imagined - provided that you are an ope...more
All in all, this book is a very good one to get you thinking about ideas that you did not realize are even able to be imagined - provided that you are an ope...more
A collection of short essays about the next "dangerous idea". Copernicus's idea that the earth went round the moon and Darwin's idea of evolution are given as the stock examples of ideas that were dangerous in the past. What will be proved true in the future that we would find difficult to believe today?
I found the articles to be very hit and miss. They variously seemed too obvious, too esoteric or barely worth mentioning. And too many were of the navel gazing "the idea of a dangerous idea is da...more
I found the articles to be very hit and miss. They variously seemed too obvious, too esoteric or barely worth mentioning. And too many were of the navel gazing "the idea of a dangerous idea is da...more
A great toilet-side tome to dip into as you defecate. Each pundit has about 2 pages to get their 'dangerous idea' out. Some are dull some are striking- most you have heard before; some regurgitate ancient philosophical conundrums.
The ones that are most enjoyable are generally by the best writers; who may not be the most original thinkers. As a Sam Harris fan I place his contribution higher than most of the others simply on the merit of his prose; he is always interesting even when going over fam...more
The ones that are most enjoyable are generally by the best writers; who may not be the most original thinkers. As a Sam Harris fan I place his contribution higher than most of the others simply on the merit of his prose; he is always interesting even when going over fam...more
Favorite line: "Schools need to be replaced by safe places where children can go to learn how to do things they are interested in learning how to do. Just call schools off. Turn them all into recreation centers."
-Roger C. Schank
-Roger C. Schank
A “dangerous” idea is not meant to be dangerous literally. Dangerous meaning that the idea is not self-evidently wrong, but by being proven right, or even just by being discussed, it may upset the accepted norms or the current way of thinking or the existing moral order. An example (Steven Pinker’s dangerous idea): What if different groups of people differ genetically in their average talents and temperaments?
The question was put to a bunch of “leading thinkers and scientists.” The result is no...more
The question was put to a bunch of “leading thinkers and scientists.” The result is no...more
Despite the lame name, this book is pretty rad. A bunch of scientists/"thinkers" talking about the things they think about that society is not prepared to think about because they are too politically or morally charged, or because the ramifications (or perceived ramifications) of accepting the theories are too scary. For example, the idea that women in general are innately less adept at maths and sciences might be true, but people would rather reject it for fear that acceptance might lead to ear...more
Apr 21, 2013
Levi
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
the curious, the open
Shelves:
non-fiction-essays
Take just a few titles I marked as noteworthy and try to not keep your mind from getting excited:
- Brains Cannot Become Minds Without Bodies
- The Self is a Conceptual Chimera
- Cyberdisinhibition
- Science Must Destroy Religion
- Science Will Never Silence God
- The Differences Between Humans and Nonhumans Are Quantitative, Not Qualitative
- Groups of People May Differ Genetically in Their Average Talents and Temperaments
- Zero Parental Influence
- Social Relativity
- There Aren't Enough Minds to House...more
- Brains Cannot Become Minds Without Bodies
- The Self is a Conceptual Chimera
- Cyberdisinhibition
- Science Must Destroy Religion
- Science Will Never Silence God
- The Differences Between Humans and Nonhumans Are Quantitative, Not Qualitative
- Groups of People May Differ Genetically in Their Average Talents and Temperaments
- Zero Parental Influence
- Social Relativity
- There Aren't Enough Minds to House...more
Every year the thinkers of Edge write a short essay in response to an annual question, which has resulted in a series of thought provoking collections. But this one question may be the most important to push the edge of human knowledge; ideas that were once deemed provocative, immoral, even dangerous, have since been accepted by society at large. In our time, they have been supplanted by other ideas we might deem dangerous, some of which could possibly be harmful to mankind. Should such ideas be...more
This book brings some of today’s heavy weights in the intellectual realm and asks them “What is your dangerous idea?” It is a feast. From religion to psychology, economics to politics, physics to literature, and from biology to anthropology, some of these short essays taken singly have as much substance as some entire books. Besides Rudy Rucker’s silliness, there isn’t an essay in here that doesn’t have something that is worth chewing over and there are some that will really make you put the boo...more
I am quite happy to have recently discovered the online forum, Edge, and then the printed collection of responses to the annual question from this forum. This edition/collection gave me a lot to think about -- some of which was predictable in terms of subject matter(lots of discussion about physics, creation, and human consciousness), but unpredictable in terms of what these "scientists and thinkers" consider the idea connected to these topics. One of my favorites came from David Lykken, whose i...more
Neat concept. Brockman asked several academics and notable personalities to write about what their most dangerous ideas were. This results in often dystopic world views based on extrapolations of the current social and technological phase we are in. But truth be told there is also a decent amount of positivity mixed in. The idea that struck me the most is the realization that there is evil lurking in all of us. That for some reason tomorrow a sane person can begin to undergo the mental processes...more
I've been dipping in and out of this collection of essays written by Today's Leading Thinkers who are, apparently, people like Daniel C Dennett, Susan Blackmore and Stephen Pinker. It's not bad, but I've heard most of these arguments before. The authors agonise over stuff like the non-existence of the soul, human inequality, eugenics, free will, consciousness, and the general pointlessnes of the universe. Actually it was quite depressing. Today's Leading Thinkers seem to do a lot of worrying and...more
An eclectic collection of essays on topics at the interface between science and philosophy. "Dangerous" here means "threatening to the way we currently think." Evil is an evolutionary adaptation, free will is going away, the self is a conceptual chimera, government is the problem not the solution, we would be better off without schools, there is no such thing as the soul, science will never silence God... Plenty here to get us all cogitating.
This book is an amazing collection of 108 responses to the question "What is your dangerous idea?". The question was posed to a collection of very impressive names, and the goal I had in reading the book of being mentally stimulated and challenged was certainly met.
There are some incredibly interesting excerpts from responses touching on topics such as whether the concept of the soul is a valid one, and whether the notion of free will even exists.
Of course the science vs. religion debate makes i...more
There are some incredibly interesting excerpts from responses touching on topics such as whether the concept of the soul is a valid one, and whether the notion of free will even exists.
Of course the science vs. religion debate makes i...more
This is a brief introduction to dangerous ideas of quite a few contemporary intellectuals. I appreciated that a few artists were included alongside the physicists and mathematicians. This book is a great jumping off point for discussion and an opportunity to find new books to read. Many of the authors of the (sometimes very) short essays have written books about their dangerous ideas.
All in all a fun read, if you like entertaining dangerous ideas.
All in all a fun read, if you like entertaining dangerous ideas.
A fun read, though I didn't find anything groundbreaking, which was a little disappointing. I was hoping to see an idea that would make me rethink the way I'd previously seen some part of the world. It was interesting to see which themes came up repeatedly, and which didn't come up at all. Overall I like the theme behind the book, the idea of challenging orthodoxy and not being afraid to ask certain questions.
I loved this book. It really made me think. I like reading essays from such a wide variety of writers. Also the essays are often very short so it makes it easy to read one a night. I found some of the ideas disturbing, others not so much. But, the essays always made me think and ponder the future!This is a book I will look back on often.
John Brockman y su pregunta anual de Edge ¿Cuál es tu idea peligrosa? es una gran colección de ensayos sobre la ciencia y su camino actual, sobre su impacto su pasado, presente y futuro.
Este libro es extraordinario por lo que hace respecto a la divulgación científica y por que estimula el pensamiento critico y creativo en un mundo que necesita cada vez mas de esto; tal vez cuando enfrentamos tanto retos deberíamos sujetarnos con más fuerza a una de las mejores partes de nosotros, una de las mas...more
Este libro es extraordinario por lo que hace respecto a la divulgación científica y por que estimula el pensamiento critico y creativo en un mundo que necesita cada vez mas de esto; tal vez cuando enfrentamos tanto retos deberíamos sujetarnos con más fuerza a una de las mejores partes de nosotros, una de las mas...more
Couldn't finish it, as I lost interest in the way it was edited. Like-minded essays are grouped together, giving an "overkill" feeling towards each category (i.e. technology, religion, life on other planets, etc.) What I read, some of these essays are very interesting and fun to ponder. Others, you get the feeling that the participant was either indifferent or didn't "understand the assignment." So, given a little more direction by the editor and a little more creative work, this might have gell...more
Very interesting indeed. Great coffee table books that could be read over days or months. The new ideas are still very dangerous in this modern world fucked up by Christian and Islamic religions.
Science is the only way to advance humankind and hopefully we will not destroy it out of stupidity. The rational thinking of the brightest minds reminds us that we are still animals, come along in the last few seconds of the evoluation history. Look how much we have destroyed on Earth already. We are no...more
Science is the only way to advance humankind and hopefully we will not destroy it out of stupidity. The rational thinking of the brightest minds reminds us that we are still animals, come along in the last few seconds of the evoluation history. Look how much we have destroyed on Earth already. We are no...more
Der Gesamteindruck der Artikel ist eher deprimierend, die Autoren lassen eher selten ein optimistisches Weltbild erkennen, auch diejenigen, die einen meiner Meinung nach guten Gedanken vertreten. Am deprimierndsten allerdings fand ich, dass so viele Ideen quasi hinter vorgehaltener Hand diskutiert werden müssen, was mein Weltbild etwas verschoben hat, so dass ich mir gar nicht mehr so sicher bin, ob wir wirklich in einer "freien" Welt leben. Wenn man sich dann aber z.B. mit den Artikeln zum frei...more
Dangerous ideas indeed!!! This is a great book to read just for the compilation of scientific minds. I had read about and pondered some of these ideas before, but there where a few that I had to step up my philosophical game to think about. It's a great conversation starter!
This volume reprints material from Edge.org, one of the most consistently stimulating sites on the Web. Tasty, bite-sized, and challenging essays that are pretty much guaranteed to get any reader annoyed...and thinking.
Apr 13, 2009
Chelsea
is currently reading it
Basically a collaboration of philosophical thinkers and scholars "dangerous ideas" that could or could not shape/benefit society as we see it today. Very interesting conclusions are drawn as to why.
There are a couple of these books and I highly recommend them. Scientists writing about their most dangerous ideas.
Also frequently found on Powell's sale table. Hooray!
Also frequently found on Powell's sale table. Hooray!
Could be entertaining for some, though the intros to the chapters are monotonous and the chapters are too short and shallow to get into them.
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With a broad career spanning the fields of art, science, books, software and the Internet. In 1960 he established the bases for "intermedia kinetic environments" in art, theatre and commerce, while consulting for clients such as General Electric, Columbia Pictures, The Pentagon, The White House... In 1973 he formed his own literary and software agency. He is founder of the Edge Foundation and edit...more
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