No other time than ours has had more of the future and less of
the past in it. The heat and beat of network interactions and
the richness of multimedia and virtual reality reflect this time
more than do the pages you are about to read. I wish I could put
in your hands the new book, suggested on the cover, as the first
page following all those that make up the huge library of our
literate accumulation of knowledge.
Let's us imagine that it exists. As I see it, the book would read
your mind.as you pause on a thought and start formulating
questions. It should enable you to come closer to the persons
whose thoughts are mentioned here, either through further
investigation of their ideas or by entering into a dialogue with
them. We would be able to interact with many of the individuals
making this fascinating present happen.
The emergence of a new civilization, freed from constraints borne
by its members during a time to which we must bid farewell-this
is the subject of the book. Science and technology are themes of
this intellectual expedition, but the subject is the
ever-changing human being. The civilization we are entering is no
promised land, make no mistake about that. But it is a realm of
challenge. Tentative upon entering the territory of new
possibilities, we have no choice but to go ahead.
Some-the pioneers, inventors, entrepreneurs, even politicians of
the so-called Third Wave-rush into it, unable to contain an
optimism based on their own opportunistic enthusiasm (as real or
fake as it might be). The young lead, unburdening themselves of
the shackles of an education which made the least contribution to
their innovative accomplishments.
Others hesitate. They don't even notice the chains of a literate
heritage, a heritage that buffers them, as it buffers us all at
various times, from the often disquieting changes we experience
at all levels of our existence. In the palace of books and
eternity, we were promised love and beauty, prosperity, and above
all permanence.
Disinheriting ourselves from all that was, we are nostalgic for
our lost sense of continuity and security. Still, we cannot help
feeling that something very different from what we used to
expect is ahead of us. We are excited, though at times
apprehensive.
It might be that the cutting-edge language and look of Wired, the
magazine of the Netizens, is more appropriate to the subject
than is the elaborate prose of this book. But this is not yet
another product of the cottage industry of predictions, as we
know them from Naisbitt, Gilder, or the Tofflers.
To explain without explaining away the complexity of this time of
change was more important to me than to ride the coattails of
today's sound-byte stars. Solid arguments that suggest
possibilities fundamentally different from what they are willing
to accept, or even entertain, make for a more deeply founded
optimism.
If you get lost along the intellectual journey to which this book
invites, it can be only my fault. If you agree with the argument
only because it tired you out, it will be my loss. But if you
can argue with me, and if your argument is free of prejudice, we
can continue the journey together.
Try reaching me, as my thoughts try to reach you through this
book. Unfortunately, I am not yet able to hand you that ideal
book that would directly connect us. Short of this, here is an
address you can use:
nadin@utdallas.edu. Let's keep on touch!