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The Struggle for a Human Future
5G, Augmented Reality, and the Internet of Things
Paperback
September 2020
9781912230433
More details
- Publisher
Temple Lodge Publishing - Published
15th September 2020 - ISBN 9781912230433
- Language English
- Pages 146 pp.
- Size 6" x 9"
$19.00
With its wireless networks encompassing the globe, the Digital Revolution is altering the very fabric of our lives with alarming rapidity. New technologies are bringing about an ever-closer union between human beings and machines, whilst at the same time transforming our planet into an increasingly hybrid “cyber–physical” world.
The current rollout of fifth-generation wireless communication networks—5G—is central to the project to create a global “electronic ecosystem” in which we will all have to live. This will provide the basis for an all-pervasive “Internet of Things” and the widespread integration of augmented and virtual reality into human experience.
But what genuine human needs will this serve? Does the planet really need to be made “smart”? Could our health and that of other living creatures actually remain unaffected by exposure to escalating levels of electromagnetic radiation?
As we enter a new era of extreme technology—driven by a momentum that seems beyond the constraint of any spiritual or moral consideration—both human beings and nature face an unprecedented challenge. Jeremy Naydler states that this is a challenge that can be met only by reaffirming essential human values and recovering a sacred view of the natural world. From this grounding, we can work toward a truly human future that, rather than creating even more pollution and toxicity, will bring blessing to the natural world to which we belong.
“A brilliant and penetrating study of the prehistory of the computer in relation to the evolution of consciousness.… His book is a spiritual beacon reminding us that our essence transcends the material and the mechanical.” —David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer
“A marvelous and erudite account of the history of consciousness.... The range and depth of Naydler’s investigation is vast. He identifies and brings out the significance of key, often little-remarked changes in thinking...[and] offers new, insightful perspectives.” —Richard Gault, Beshara Magazine
“This important and profoundly thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone with an itch in the back of their mind that something is very wrong with the world today. [It] takes us on the fascinating journey of the human mind from the very dawn of time to today, the age of the computer. In doing so, we are forced to question the very nature of our reality.” —Brett Lothian, New Dawn
“This important book illuminates contemporary consciousness powerfully, and offers a crucial exploration of what it means to be human.” —Mark Vernon, author of A Secret History of Christianity
“Jeremy Naydler has become, in my judgment, one of the most interesting and original living writers in Britain.” —Prof. Bruce G. Charlton, author of Addicted to Distraction
C O N T E N T S:
Introduction
1. Technology and the Soul
2. The Quest for the Pearl
3. The Advent of the Wearable Computer
4. 5G: The Multiple Assault
5. Bringing Light to the World
Notes
Sources
Bibliography
Index
Jeremy Naydler
Jeremy Naydler, PhD, holds a doctorate in theology and religious studies, and is a philosopher, cultural historian and gardener who lives and works in Oxford, England. He has long been interested in the history of consciousness and sees the study of past cultures—which were more open to the world of spirit than our own, predominantly secular, culture—as relevant both to understanding our situation today and to finding pathways into the future. His longstanding concern about the impact of electronic technologies on our inner life and on our relationship to nature has found expression in numerous articles contributed to magazines such as New View, Self and Society,and Resurgence.
