Kevin Kelly’s “What Technology Wants” | Haight

Submitted by the Event Organizer

Most of us have a love / hate relationship with new inventions—take the “crackberry,” for example.

In his new book “What Technology Wants,” visionary Kevin Kelly argues that technology is an extension of life — and an acceleration of the mind. Technology is the “seventh kingdom” of life: it now shares with life certain biases, urges, needs and tendencies.

The system of technology (which he calls technium) “wants” in an unconscious way to head in certain directions, just as do life and evolution.  The technium functions as a living, natural system.  Just as evolution has tendencies, urges, trajectories, established forms, and a direction, so too does the technium.

He asks: So what is technology’s agenda?  Where is it headed?  What is the true nature of its increasing presence in our society?  And how do the goals of the technological agenda relate to humanity’s goals?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kevin Kelly was editor and publisher of Whole Earth Review, helped launch Wired magazine and was its editor for nearly six years, and has been involved in such cultural innovations as The Hacker’s Conference, the early online community The Well, and the All Species Inventory. Kelly writes for publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Time, Harpers, Science, GQ, and Esquire.

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