The Invention of Tomorrow
A Natural History of Foresight
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
A spellbinding exploration of the human capacity to imagine the future
Our ability to think about the future is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. In The Invention of Tomorrow, cognitive scientists Thomas Suddendorf, Jonathan Redshaw, and Adam Bulley argue that its emergence transformed humans from unremarkable primates to creatures that hold the destiny of the planet in their hands.
Drawing on their own cutting-edge research, the authors break down the science of foresight, showing us where it comes from, how it works, and how it made our world. Journeying through biology, psychology, history, and culture, they show that thinking ahead is at the heart of human nature—even if we often get it terribly wrong. Incisive and expansive, The Invention of Tomorrow offers a fresh perspective on the human tale that shows how our species clawed its way to control the future.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Psychology researchers Suddendorf (The Gap), Redshaw, and Bulley deliver a stimulating if occasionally muddled volume on the human capacity for foresight. The authors detail scientific studies, including their own, to argue that powers of prediction are an essential part of human development and explain why humans have achieved species dominance. Humans, the authors suggest, differ from other animals in their ability to teach, which requires "anticipating what a pupil needs to grasp," and innovate, which involves "recognizing the future utility of solutions." These skills enable the species to be in a constant state of improvement, the authors contend, describing how written language emerged out of the rise of agriculture in Sumer. Suddendorf, Redshaw, and Bulley compare human abilities with animal research findings that reveal some crows can anticipate what tools they'll need to operate a special food dispenser and that chimpanzees can think about physical problems (e.g., how to retrieve food dropped near their enclosure) even when not directly observing them. However, the authors struggle to make clear the boundaries between human and animal intelligence, striving to delineate a more rigid separation than their evidence suggests. The material on human innovation is more convincing and offers some meaty ideas sure to captivate popular science readers. Fans of Steven Pinker will want to check this out.
