Future Humans: Hows-Whys - Tech - Medicine - Human Enhancement - Genetics - Wrongs - Rights - Playing God-Who Wants to Live Forever? - Science vs Morality

by Tom Jackson

What is transhumanism? What is AI? Are these good developments or bad ones? How might immortality be possible? And should we even want to live forever? Get the facts and make up your own mind on these and more questions related to enhanced human potential with Future Humans , part of the new What's the Issue?  series.

What does it really mean to be human? In the future, might we be forced to rethink the answer? In this fascinating book, explore these questions through topics The What's the Issue? series tackles engaging, thought-provoking subjects chosen from the headlines and public debates. What's the Issue? asks “what’s all the fuss about?,” presents the key facts, reviews what’s at stake in each case, and weighs the pros and cons. The goal of the series is to help young people understand difficult concepts, provide them with the tools to inform their own opinions, and help them to see and influence changes within our society.

Genres: Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2019

About the author

"I'm a non-fiction author and project editor (plus I do a bit of journalism). I'm available for project development, writing, project management and I also work as a packager. Click on the links above to see examples of my work.

But first some background: Over the last 20 years, I've written books, magazine and newspaper articles, for online and for television. I get to write about a wide range of subjects, everything from axolotls to zoroastrianism. However, my specialties are natural history, technology and all things scientific. I've worked on projects with Brian May, Patrick Moore, Marcus de Sautoy and Carol Vorderman and for major international publishers, such as Dorling Kindersley, National Geographic, Scholastic, Hachette, Facts on File and BBC Magazines.

I spend my days finding fun ways of communicating all kinds of facts, new and old, to every age group and reading ability. I live in Bristol, England, with my wife and three children. I studied zoology at Bristol University and have had spells working at the zoos in Jersey and Surrey. I used to be something of a conservationist, which included planting trees in Somerset, surveying Vietnamese jungle and rescuing buffaloes from drought-ridden Zimbabwe. Writing jobs have also taken me to the Galápagos Islands, the Amazon rainforest, the coral reefs of Indonesia and the Sahara Desert. Nowadays, I can be found mainly in the attic."
~http://tomjackson.weebly.com/

Reviews

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series that aims to help teenagers think through different topics and make an informed opinion. This book discusses a range of questions related to human evolution and what being human might mean in the future. It asks children to think about types of intelligence, living without sleep, the benefits and drawbacks of having perfect memory, body enhancements, possible issues with 'human rights' of digitalised people and so on. There is a wealth of information and memorable factoids, but for me the best feature of this book is question vignettes that contain thought-provoking discussion prompts.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

Presenting lots of information in an easy to digest format, this book is one of a series which looks at contemporary issues. I loved the illustrations and the engaging questions posed throughout. This book would be a great addition to a school library. The way that it is laid out is engaging, you can't help but find out more. Nice book.

[Eila Ollinheimo · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was very poor in regards to expression. It dealt with complex issues in a simple format designed for younger kids who have no understanding of these issues. Even adults have not evaluated ethics of AI and using nanobots. This book does not question the morality or teach them to think critically. It reads like an advertisement for the mad scientists without accountability. A school biology book is more informative.

[Jordan Funke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The layout and content of this book are fabulous. As a futurist librarian I love thinking about this stuff and getting students interested in questions of what it means to be human. The book starts a little slow with stuff students may think they already know, but if given permission to skip around they may come back to it. My students will love this.

[Leah Horton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really cool book. Thought provoking and fun enough to keep my daughter asking questions while making me think hard about the answers. Any book that can make you ask questions is a huge win.

[Glowfly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Brainwashing, biased questions... Awful!