Peter J. Bowler

History of the Future (eBook, ePUB)

Prophets of Progress from H. G. Wells to Isaac Asimov

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

In this wide-ranging survey, Peter J. Bowler explores the phenomenon of futurology: predictions about the future development and impact of science and technology on society and culture in the twentieth century. Utilising science fiction, popular science literature and the novels of the literary elite, Bowler highlights contested responses to the potential for revolutionary social change brought about by real and imagined scientific innovations. Charting the effect of social and military developments on attitudes towards innovation in Europe and America, Bowler shows how conflict between the enthusiasm of technocrats and the pessimism of their critics was presented to the public in books, magazines and exhibitions, and on the radio and television. A series of case studies reveals the impact of technologies such as radio, aviation, space exploration and genetics, exploring rivalries between innovators and the often unexpected outcome of their efforts to produce mechanisms and machines that could change the world.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Cambridge University Press
• Erscheinungstermin: 2. November 2017
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781108547543
• Artikelnr.: 50402695

Autorenporträt

Peter J. Bowler is Emeritus Professor of the History of Science at Queen's University Belfast. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has published a number of books on the history of biology and several general surveys.

Inhaltsangabe

1. Introduction: progress or threat?
2. The prophets: their backgrounds and ambitions
3. How we'll live
4. Where we'll live
5. Communicating and computing
6. Getting around
7. Taking to the air
8. Journey into space
9. War
10. Energy and environment
11. Human nature
12. Epilogue: Plus ça change?

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1. Introduction: progress or threat?; 2. The prophets: their backgrounds and ambitions; 3. How we'll live; 4. Where we'll live; 5. Communicating and computing; 6. Getting around; 7. Taking to the air; 8. Journey into space; 9. War; 10. Energy and environment; 11. Human nature; 12. Epilogue: Plus ça change?

Rezensionen

'This is fascinating, wide-ranging and important work, an ambitious attempt to do something it's amazing to think nobody has tried before: to map all the varieties of 'the future' that writers and thinkers have extrapolated over the last dozen decades or so. Professor Bowler expertly sets the terms of the discussion about what the future used to be, and what it might be again.' Adam Roberts, Royal Holloway, University of London