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Your Techno-Optimist Reading List
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Your Techno-Optimist Reading List

9 books for your holiday wishlist

Miles Lasater
Dec 4, 2021
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Your Techno-Optimist Reading List
mileslasater.substack.com

Now for something different. I offer you the techno-optimist reading guide. Here are 9 optimistic books along with 8 chasers. Use it as a holiday gift list. Or pick one for yourself. 

  1. The Beginning of Infinity: problems are inevitable and also solvable. All we lack is knowledge. And we are capable of creating an unlimited stream of knowledge.

  2. Enlightenment Now: science and reason have worked. They allowed us to improve our lives. We should keep using them.

  3. How Innovation Works: innovation is the mother of prosperity and the daughter of freedom. You can read my 5 star review for more.

  4. Abundance: technology is improving at an exponential rate. We will soon be able to meet the basic needs of everyone.

  5. More from Less: we are using less physical stuff in many categories even while growing our economies. The forces that are driving this could continue and expand into other categories.

  6. Extra Life: a few innovations increased human lifespan from ~40 to ~80. How do we find more?

  7. Freeing Energy: the future of energy is electric, solar and distributed. You can be a part of it.

  8. The Moral Landscape: we can figure out moral questions, in part, by looking at which choices cause people to flourish.

  9. Or you could catch up on a Kevin Kelly book.

Chasers

  1. Donut Economics: mainstream capitalism and economics are due for an update including a better understanding of the environment and human nature. 

  2. Precipe: we should act now to preserve humanity’s future as otherwise existential risk is high.

  3. Super Intelligence: artificial general intelligence is possible, will be very powerful and may not be our tool or friend.

  4. War on Normal People: automation is eating our jobs and what to do about it.

  5. The Value of Everything: Modern economies reward activities that extract value rather than create it. This must change to ensure a capitalism that works for us all.

  6. Homo Deus: what happens if tech replaces people’s primacy as consumers, voters or workers? Humans haven’t evolved to handle all this tech. And maybe techno-optimism is a new religion.

  7. How Democracies Die: the institutions that keep democracy functioning are weakening.

  8. And on my to read list: Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages.

What would you add?

Until next week,

Miles

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