Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Aug 2016
304 pages
Genre: Science, Health and the Environment
Publication Information
Never before in the history of medicine has mankind faced such hope and peril as those of us poised to embrace the radical medical technologies of today.
Eve Herold's Beyond Human examines the medical technologies taking shape at the nexus of computing, microelectronics, engineering, nanotechnology, cellular and gene therapies, and robotics. These technologies will dramatically transform our lives and allow us to live for hundreds of years. Yet, with these blessings come complicated practical and ethical issues, some of which we can predict, but many we cannot.
Beyond Human taps the minds of doctors, scientists, and engineers engaged in developing a host of new technologies while telling the stories of some of the patients courageously testing the radical new treatments about to come into the market.
Beyond Human asks the difficult questions of the scientists and bioethicists who seek to ensure that as our bodies and brains become ever more artificial, we hold onto our humanity. In this new world, will everyone have access to technological miracles, or will we end up living in a world of radical disparities? How will society accommodate life spans that extend into hundreds of years? Will we and our descendants be able to bring about the dream of a future liberated by technology, or will we end up merely serving the machines and devices that keep us healthy, smart, young, and alive?
"Starred Review. Dazzling... An eye-opening description of scientific transhumanism that may provoke older readers to curse themselves for being born a few decades too early." - Kirkus
"[Herold] is cautiously optimistic about the prospects of new technologies for improving quality of life." - Publlishers Weekly
"An intriguing projection of the current arc of medical technology, with a rich exploration of the potential societal consequences that will inform and provoke readers in the health-care and social science fields." - Library Journal
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Eve Herold is a science writer specializing in issues at the intersection of science and society. She has written and spoken extensively about stem cell research and regenerative medicine and the social and bioethical aspects of leading-edge medicine. She is the past director of the Office of Communications and Public Affairs at the American Psychiatric Association and has served as Director of Public Policy Research and Education for the Genetics Policy Institute.
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