"We're asking ourselves how far are we willing to engineer the world and ourselves?" In The Human Age: The World Shaped by Us, Diane Ackerman writes about the technological innovations that are altering our lives on a daily basis. She covers topics such as chimeras (blends of human/animals), robots, artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing, tablets, food production, greenhouse gases... just to touch the surface. She asks the question: is nature "natural" anymore, and what does that mean. One item she mentions, regarding robots and AI, is that any trauma they experience, they don't have the ability to forget. It's tidibts of information like that that shed a different perspective on some of the chapters.

The topics could quickly get dry but Ackerman writes fluidly, and it's an interesting read, and could stimulate some fun discussions over dinner or at a cocktail party. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in technology, how technology shapes lives, holistic topics, the changing world, and people who are fans of Michael Pollan.

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