The Future of Humanity

'The Future of Humanity is a thought-provoking work that takes a long view of the trajectory of our technological development, identifies the significant risks and ethical dilemmas that it entails and tries to answer the central question of what kind of future we should aspire to as humanity. It is a profound piece of work, reflecting a deep understanding of technology and society, as also the philosophical traditions of both the West and the East to weave an inspiring vision for the future of humanity. The author is an accomplished futurist with long years of experience as a distinguished tech policy expert. In her analysis, she distinguishes between “soft technology” comprising, for example, societal norms and structures as opposed to “hard technology” concerning material solutions based on science. It is “soft technology” which ultimately determines the impact of “hard technology” on society, and therefore deserves serious attention. The author paints a vivid picture of what might be the successor of our current industrial civilization. She calls it the “Global Civilization”. She then goes on to define its next and more evolved version, which she terms as the “Great Civilization”. While considering technology and society, we are often constrained by our current circumstances as we think of the future. As a result, we usually end up thinking incrementally. The Future of Humanity provokes us to think more expansively on a bigger canvas. It is an extremely valuable contribution in helping us frame our thinking of the type of society we should collectively design if what we cherish as humans is to survive and thrive in the future".'

-- Sandeep Suda, Am