Shrinking the Technosphere: Getting a Grip on Technologies that Limit our Autonomy, Self-sufficiency and Freedom - Softcover

Orlov, Dmitry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0865718385 ISBN 13: 9780865718388

Publisher: New Society Publishers, 2016

Synopsis

This book debunks the prevailing view that whatever the problem, it's newer, bigger and better technology that's the solution.

Over the past two centuries we have witnessed a wholesale replacement of most of the previous methods of conducting both business and daily life with new, technologically advanced, more efficient methods.

What exactly is progressive or efficient about this new arrangement is hardly ever examined in depth: if the new ways of doing things are so much better, then we must all be leading relaxed, stress-free, enjoyable lives with plenty of free time to devote to art and leisure activities. But a more careful look at these changes shows us that many of these advances are not weighing favourably in a harm/benefit comparison. The harm to the environment, society, and even to our own personalities, on an individual level, is plain to see, but is brushed off with hollow claims about efficiency and progress.

Shrinking the Technosphere guides readers through the process of bringing technology down to a manageable number of carefully chosen, essential, well-understood and controllable elements. It is about regaining the freedom to use technology for our own benefit, and is critical reading for all who seek to get back to a point where technologies assist us rather than control us.

About this title

About the Author

Dmitry Orlov was born in Leningrad, USSR, into an academic family, and emigrated to the US in the mid-1970s. He holds degrees in Computer Engineering and Linguistics, and has worked in a variety of fields, including high-energy physics, Internet commerce, network security and advertising. He is the author of several previous books, including Reinventing Collapse and The Five Stages of Collapse.

From the Back Cover

Can we bring our technology choices back under control?

…a clear and compelling exploration of what is wrong with the technosphere, and what we can do about it. DERRICK JENSEN, author, Endgame and The Myth of Human Supremacy

…we need to work out where we go from here, individually and, more importantly, collectively. Dmitry Orlov guides us through this process more effectively, and entertainingly, than almost anyone else writing today. NICOLE FOSS, Senior Editor, The Automatic Earth

OVER THE PAST two centuries we have witnessed a wholesale replacement of most of the previous methods of conducting both business and daily life with new, technologically advanced, more efficient methods. What exactly is progressive or efficient about this new arrangement is hardly ever examined in depth: if the new ways of doing things are so much better, then we must all be leading relaxed, stress-free, enjoyable lives with plenty of free time to devote to art and leisure activities. But a more careful look at these changes shows us that many of these advances are not weighing favorably in a harm/benefit comparison. The harm to the environment, society, and even to our own personalities, on an individual level, is plain to see, but is brushed off with hollow claims about efficiency and progress.

Shrinking the Technosphere guides readers through the process of bringing technology down to a manageable number of carefully chosen, essential, well-understood and controllable elements. It is about regaining the freedom to use technology for our own benefit, and is critical reading for all who seek to get back to a point where technologies assist us rather than control us.

Shrinking the Technosphere is part self-help book, part philosophical tour de force. It is both entertaining and shockingly eye-opening; it is a book that liberates the mind. RICHARD HEINBERG, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute

DMITRY ORLOV was born in Leningrad, USSR and emigrated to the US in the mid-1970s. He holds degrees in Computer Engineering and Linguistics, and has worked in a variety of fields, including high-energy physics, Internet commerce, network security and advertising. He is the author of several previous books, including Reinventing Collapse and The Five Stages of Collapse.

From the Inside Flap

Can we bring our technology choices back under control?

…a clear and compelling exploration of what is wrong with the technosphere, and what we can do about it. DERRICK JENSEN, author, Endgame and The Myth of Human Supremacy

…we need to work out where we go from here, individually and, more importantly, collectively. Dmitry Orlov guides us through this process more effectively, and entertainingly, than almost anyone else writing today. NICOLE FOSS, Senior Editor, The Automatic Earth

OVER THE PAST two centuries we have witnessed a wholesale replacement of most of the previous methods of conducting both business and daily life with new, technologically advanced, more efficient methods. What exactly is progressive or efficient about this new arrangement is hardly ever examined in depth: if the new ways of doing things are so much better, then we must all be leading relaxed, stress-free, enjoyable lives with plenty of free time to devote to art and leisure activities. But a more careful look at these changes shows us that many of these advances are not weighing favorably in a harm/benefit comparison. The harm to the environment, society, and even to our own personalities, on an individual level, is plain to see, but is brushed off with hollow claims about efficiency and progress.

Shrinking the Technosphere guides readers through the process of bringing technology down to a manageable number of carefully chosen, essential, well-understood and controllable elements. It is about regaining the freedom to use technology for our own benefit, and is critical reading for all who seek to get back to a point where technologies assist us rather than control us.

Shrinking the Technosphere is part self-help book, part philosophical tour de force. It is both entertaining and shockingly eye-opening; it is a book that liberates the mind. RICHARD HEINBERG, Senior Fellow, Post Carbon Institute

DMITRY ORLOV was born in Leningrad, USSR and emigrated to the US in the mid-1970s. He holds degrees in Computer Engineering and Linguistics, and has worked in a variety of fields, including high-energy physics, Internet commerce, network security and advertising. He is the author of several previous books, including Reinventing Collapse and The Five Stages of Collapse.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0865718385
• ISBN 13: 9780865718388
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 256