The Singularity Is Near by Ray Kurzweil

The Singularity Is Near

When Humans Transcend Biology

Ray Kurzweil

Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · September 26, 2006

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil presents an “elaborate, smart, and persuasive” (The Boston Globe) view of the future course of human development. “Artfully envisions a breathtakingly better world.”—Los Angeles Times “Startling in scope and bravado.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “An important book.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer At the onset of the twenty-first century, humanity stands on the verge of the most transforming and thrilling period in its history.

Buy on Amazon

We earn from qualifying purchases.

Who it’s for
A brisk, idea-forward take on where human capability might be headed.
Themes
technological singularity, human enhancement, future of intelligence
Pacing
Reflective

Nearest books

Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved. Most of these share its genres: AI & Machine Learning and Futures & Foresight.

  1. The Age of Spiritual MachinesRay Kurzweil84% match
  2. DiasporaGreg Egan60% match
  3. Permutation CityGreg Egan52% match
  4. The Singularity Is NearerRay Kurzweil85% match
  5. Homo DeusYuval Noah Harari69% match
  6. SuperagencyReid Hoffman, Greg Beato62% match
  7. AI 2041Kai-Fu Lee, Chen Qiufan65% match

For younger readers: Unstoppable US, Volume 1: How Humans Took Over the World, Future Tense, How to Survive the End of the World

Start with three books, and this one can be the first.

Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.

Start with this book

About this book

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Celebrated futurist Ray Kurzweil presents an “elaborate, smart, and persuasive” (The Boston Globe) view of the future course of human development.

Continue reading

“Artfully envisions a breathtakingly better world.”—Los Angeles Times “Startling in scope and bravado.”—Janet Maslin, The New York Times “An important book.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer At the onset of the twenty-first century, humanity stands on the verge of the most transforming and thrilling period in its history. It will be an era in which the very nature of what it means to be human will be both enriched and challenged as our species breaks the shackles of its genetic legacy and achieves inconceivable heights of intelligence, material progress, and longevity. While the social and philosophical ramifications of these changes will be profound, and the threats they pose considerable, The Singularity Is Near presents a radical and optimistic view of the coming age that is both a dramatic culmination of centuries of technological ingenuity and a genuinely inspiring vision of our ultimate destiny.

Future Shock

A brisk, idea-forward take on where human capability might be headed.

Come here for

  • big-idea futurism with a practical edge
  • a compact reset on intelligence, biology, and what comes next

Expect

  • speculative but workday-friendly
  • terms that reward slow chewing

Where it sits

AI & Machine Learning54%
Futures & Foresight49%
Evolution24%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • AI & Machine Learning
  • Biotech
  • Futures & Foresight
Authors
Ray Kurzweil
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Published
September 26, 2006
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
technological singularity · human enhancement · future of intelligence
Reading lane
AI & Machine Learning