The future-proof bundle: 4 books you need to read
Non-technical books that will help you understand our future and have an impact.
1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
By Yuval Noah Harari
If you only read one book, read this one. Sapiens is incredible. In a few hundred pages, it will make you rethink your conception of humankind and its societies.
Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powerful, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as the United States and Google.
2. Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
By Yuval Noah Harari
When Sapiens mainly talks about the past, Homo Deus (by the same author) mainly talks about the future. If you read Sapiens, you probably don’t need to read part 1 and 2 of Homo Deus. But read part 3, it is amazing. It will give you a fascinating but scary glimpse into our future.
However, once technology enables us to re-engineer human minds, Homo sapiens will disappear, human history will come to an end and a completely new kind of process will begin, which people like you and me cannot comprehend. Many scholars try to predict how the world will look in the year 2100 or 2200. This is a waste of time. Any worthwhile prediction must take into account the ability to re-engineer human minds, and this is impossible. There are many wise answers to the question, ‘What would people with minds like ours do with biotechnology?’ Yet there are no good answers to the question, ‘What would beings with a different kind of mind do with biotechnology?’ All we can say is that people similar to us are likely to use biotechnology to re-engineer their own minds, and our present-day minds cannot grasp what might happen next.
3. Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategy
By Nick Bostrom
Next, you can focus on the actual technologies which will shape our future. First, learn about Artificial Intelligence and the impact it will have on our world, for the best or the worst. Superintelligence will show you the incredible power it will have and the challenges we face. As a species, we better not fuck this up!
Let an ultraintelligent machine be defined as a machine that can far surpass all the intellectual activities of any man however clever. Since the design of machines is one of these intellectual activities, an ultraintelligent machine could design even better machines; there would then unquestionably be an “intelligence explosion,” and the intelligence of man would be left far behind. Thus the first ultraintelligent machine is the last invention that man need ever make, provided that the machine is docile enough to tell us how to keep it under control.
4. The Internet of Money
By Andreas M. Antonopoulos
Blockchain will probably be one of the most impactful technology in the next 10 years. You need to understand it. First, read the Bitcoin Whitepaper. Then, read The Internet of Money. It will make everything clearer.
Bitcoin is not just money for the internet. Yes, it’s perfect money for the internet. It’s instant, it’s safe, it’s free. Yes, it is money for the internet, but it’s so much more. Bitcoin is the internet of money. Currency is only the first application. If you grasp that, you can look beyond the price, you can look beyond the volatility, you can look beyond the fad. At its core, bitcoin is a revolutionary technology that will change the world forever. Join”
Bonus: For those who are not really into books
1. Wait But Why
The best blog ever to understand the future. All topics are presented in depth in a super clear and funny way. From AI to Space Travel, you will find everything.
2. Kurzgesagt
The best Youtube channel you can hope for. Learn about important subjects in a really articulated way in less than 10 minutes.
