Unnatural Selection
Why The Geeks Will Inherit The Earth
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A bold new theory that throws Darwin's theory on its ear: it is no longer the survival of the fittest--the geeks shall inherit the earth.
Is Darwin's theory of evolution out of date?According to author Mark Roeder it is. In Charles Darwin's view, only the fittest of the species - the aplha males and females survived and evolved. But these days the game has changed. You no longer need physical strength and strong genes to make it - in fact in our increasingly man-made sedentary and digital world, the traits which count are often the opposite of Darwin's check list.think of the film 'the Social Network'. the central battle is between two opposing sides-one, the Winklevoss twins have classic alpha genes: they are attractive, tall, strong, Olympian rowers, good at school, moneyed. On the other side is nerdy, slightly autistic, physically weak Mark Zuckerberg. the twist in the tale is that it is Zuckerberg who triumphs-it is his ability to multi-task, to read the new currency, to bend the man-made systems to his will, which make him the victor.Mark Roeder takes this example as the starting point of a bold new theory- that it will be the geeks who inherit the earth.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Urging Darwin's theory of evolution into the nihilistic, technological obsessed 21st century, Roeder presents the prototype Homo Geektus' as the face of professional success in the digital age. He argues that once pitiable nerds with shy, studious personalities are the new ideal, conditioned to thrive in a cyber culture. The author takes a tone of sarcastic glee yet builds his case with convincing data from various evolutionary ages. The chapter called "The Gift of Weakness" sets the intellectual table, depicting Man's fight for survival in the "technological Greenhouse" instead of a cave as we shift from the nature-based "Holocene" age to the "Unnatural Selection" favoring know-how over physical aggression. Roeder emphasizes the "mutual interaction between the environment and nature," in this case, an invisible but powerful data infrastructures dominated by outsiders whose mental strength allows them to create/alter alternative informational and sensory realities "without asking anyone's permission." Roeder offers a thoughtful, contemplative treatise told with wit and wisdom.
Customer Reviews
Good
This book is the closest humans can get to predicting the future. Geeks will one day rule the world. They are already running big organisations like google and apple. The only mistake this book (and this review) have made is that it will be nerds who will own the world. Nerds are into academic subjects (although they do like fiction) while geeks are mainly into pop culture and comics (but since nerds and geeks are very similar they will both run the world).