The Visioneers

How a Group of Elite Scientists Pursued Space Colonies, Nanotechnologies, and a Limitless Future

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, Nanostructures, History
Cover of the book The Visioneers by W. Patrick McCray, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: W. Patrick McCray ISBN: 9781400844685
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: December 9, 2012
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: W. Patrick McCray
ISBN: 9781400844685
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: December 9, 2012
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

In 1969, Princeton physicist Gerard O'Neill began looking outward to space colonies as the new frontier for humanity's expansion. A decade later, Eric Drexler, an MIT-trained engineer, turned his attention to the molecular world as the place where society's future needs could be met using self-replicating nanoscale machines. These modern utopians predicted that their technologies could transform society as humans mastered the ability to create new worlds, undertook atomic-scale engineering, and, if truly successful, overcame their own biological limits. The Visioneers tells the story of how these scientists and the communities they fostered imagined, designed, and popularized speculative technologies such as space colonies and nanotechnologies.

Patrick McCray traces how these visioneers blended countercultural ideals with hard science, entrepreneurship, libertarianism, and unbridled optimism about the future. He shows how they built networks that communicated their ideas to writers, politicians, and corporate leaders. But the visioneers were not immune to failure--or to the lures of profit, celebrity, and hype. O'Neill and Drexler faced difficulty funding their work and overcoming colleagues' skepticism, and saw their ideas co-opted and transformed by Timothy Leary, the scriptwriters of Star Trek, and many others. Ultimately, both men struggled to overcome stigma and ostracism as they tried to unshackle their visioneering from pejorative labels like "fringe" and "pseudoscience.?

The Visioneers provides a balanced look at the successes and pitfalls they encountered. The book exposes the dangers of promotion--oversimplification, misuse, and misunderstanding--that can plague exploratory science. But above all, it highlights the importance of radical new ideas that inspire us to support cutting-edge research into tomorrow's technologies.

Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 1969, Princeton physicist Gerard O'Neill began looking outward to space colonies as the new frontier for humanity's expansion. A decade later, Eric Drexler, an MIT-trained engineer, turned his attention to the molecular world as the place where society's future needs could be met using self-replicating nanoscale machines. These modern utopians predicted that their technologies could transform society as humans mastered the ability to create new worlds, undertook atomic-scale engineering, and, if truly successful, overcame their own biological limits. The Visioneers tells the story of how these scientists and the communities they fostered imagined, designed, and popularized speculative technologies such as space colonies and nanotechnologies.

Patrick McCray traces how these visioneers blended countercultural ideals with hard science, entrepreneurship, libertarianism, and unbridled optimism about the future. He shows how they built networks that communicated their ideas to writers, politicians, and corporate leaders. But the visioneers were not immune to failure--or to the lures of profit, celebrity, and hype. O'Neill and Drexler faced difficulty funding their work and overcoming colleagues' skepticism, and saw their ideas co-opted and transformed by Timothy Leary, the scriptwriters of Star Trek, and many others. Ultimately, both men struggled to overcome stigma and ostracism as they tried to unshackle their visioneering from pejorative labels like "fringe" and "pseudoscience.?

The Visioneers provides a balanced look at the successes and pitfalls they encountered. The book exposes the dangers of promotion--oversimplification, misuse, and misunderstanding--that can plague exploratory science. But above all, it highlights the importance of radical new ideas that inspire us to support cutting-edge research into tomorrow's technologies.

Some images inside the book are unavailable due to digital copyright restrictions.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Approximating Perfection by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book Mythematics by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book Mirages and Mad Beliefs by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book The Importance of Feeling English by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book The French Way by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book The Birth of Hedonism by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book Birds of Prey of the East by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book Hamburgers in Paradise by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book The Inner Life of Empires by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book Introduction to Modeling Convection in Planets and Stars by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book Ethics in an Age of Terror and Genocide by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book The Litigation State by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book The Tar Baby by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book Chemical Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecosystems by W. Patrick McCray
Cover of the book The Presidential Difference by W. Patrick McCray
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy