Physics of the Future is a prediction book written by Dr. Michio Kaku. Dr. Kaku is a theoretical physicist who helped develop String Field Theory. As you may have guessed that is a division of String Theory but his work is hardly mentioned in the book. Dr. Kaku interviewed and interpreted the predictions of over 200 scientists instead of discussing the scientific advancements he’s been leading. This book discusses the state of civilization at the beginning of the next century. This goes beyond guessing the future of civilization; instead Dr. Kaku covers topics that are currently being researched by the best scientists and engineers in the world.
What does this book cover?
This book covers various scientific advances in computers (including Nanotechnology and Artificial Intelligence), medicine, and energy. Dr. Kaku also discusses whether these advances will have a beneficial impact on a capitalistic society. All of those are extraordinarily important topics. This book does not offer an in depth analysis on any of these topics. It just gives you a general overview. If you are solely interested in AI or Genetic Modification you should read a book exclusive to those topics. And although this book does not get into the advanced mathematics of Quantum Mechanics or Medicine it is still extremely intelligent.
The most interesting part of this book for me was Dr. Kaku’s discussion on Moore’s law, Quantum Technology/Nanotech and genetic modification (check out my last article to learn more about this intriguing subject). He also brilliantly discusses how Nanotech could be used to fight various medical illnesses such as cancer.
Pros
The writing in this book is fantastic. Dr. Kaku is able to communicate complicated ideas in a surprisingly simple way. Dr. Kaku made a tremendous effort to get the general consensus from the scientific community on every topic he covers. We are already seeing some of these technological advances. In this book Michio Kaku suggests that soon companies will begin to develop glasses and watches that will be able to have as much computer capabilities as modern phones. This book was published a year before Google glass was announced to the public. He also suggests cars that can drive themselves which already exist (although they are very expensive and I don’t believe they are legal on public roads).
This book has a very wide and well put together collection of topics. Nearly every category was as interesting as the last. Although the final chapters where less thought out then the rest of the book. Dr. Kaku provides extremely thought provoking ethical analysis as well, especially on the subject of genetic modification.
Cons
Dr. Kaku clearly has a very imaginative mind but I’m afraid his imagination grows a bit unqualified when he begins to discuss economics. I am no economist but it was clear that Dr. Kaku was uneducated in global economc theories relative to other topics he discussed. At this stage I put the book down and began a new one. The last 50 pages of the book is merely a physicist discussing economics.
Many people may say that Dr. Kaku gets in over his head a lot. That is an understandable claim because he is a string theorist. Many people accuse String Theory of being unsupported by evidence (which is true). String Theory simply exists to make cosmological models in order to simplify all the forces into one theory of everything. I personally do not agree with String Theory because I simply have no reason to do so. I find it an overly complicated attempt at simplification. Dr. Kaku continues this trend by talking about downright extreme ideas. Many of his predictions oversimplify complicated topics (at least in my opinion). But this book is a relatively simple overview of the state of science. Most of his ideas are warranted and although they may be extreme it is a scientist’s job to confront and consider extreme ideas. And even if you disagree with Dr. Kaku this book is incredibly thought provoking.
Overall this is a very fascinating and well written book. The topics are very fascinating and for the most part well researched. This book is extremely thought provoking and if you are interested in the subject matters of advances of computational and medical technology then I suggest you pick it up at your local book store or library.
-Thanks for reading
What does this book cover?
This book covers various scientific advances in computers (including Nanotechnology and Artificial Intelligence), medicine, and energy. Dr. Kaku also discusses whether these advances will have a beneficial impact on a capitalistic society. All of those are extraordinarily important topics. This book does not offer an in depth analysis on any of these topics. It just gives you a general overview. If you are solely interested in AI or Genetic Modification you should read a book exclusive to those topics. And although this book does not get into the advanced mathematics of Quantum Mechanics or Medicine it is still extremely intelligent.
The most interesting part of this book for me was Dr. Kaku’s discussion on Moore’s law, Quantum Technology/Nanotech and genetic modification (check out my last article to learn more about this intriguing subject). He also brilliantly discusses how Nanotech could be used to fight various medical illnesses such as cancer.
Pros
The writing in this book is fantastic. Dr. Kaku is able to communicate complicated ideas in a surprisingly simple way. Dr. Kaku made a tremendous effort to get the general consensus from the scientific community on every topic he covers. We are already seeing some of these technological advances. In this book Michio Kaku suggests that soon companies will begin to develop glasses and watches that will be able to have as much computer capabilities as modern phones. This book was published a year before Google glass was announced to the public. He also suggests cars that can drive themselves which already exist (although they are very expensive and I don’t believe they are legal on public roads).
This book has a very wide and well put together collection of topics. Nearly every category was as interesting as the last. Although the final chapters where less thought out then the rest of the book. Dr. Kaku provides extremely thought provoking ethical analysis as well, especially on the subject of genetic modification.
Cons
Dr. Kaku clearly has a very imaginative mind but I’m afraid his imagination grows a bit unqualified when he begins to discuss economics. I am no economist but it was clear that Dr. Kaku was uneducated in global economc theories relative to other topics he discussed. At this stage I put the book down and began a new one. The last 50 pages of the book is merely a physicist discussing economics.
Many people may say that Dr. Kaku gets in over his head a lot. That is an understandable claim because he is a string theorist. Many people accuse String Theory of being unsupported by evidence (which is true). String Theory simply exists to make cosmological models in order to simplify all the forces into one theory of everything. I personally do not agree with String Theory because I simply have no reason to do so. I find it an overly complicated attempt at simplification. Dr. Kaku continues this trend by talking about downright extreme ideas. Many of his predictions oversimplify complicated topics (at least in my opinion). But this book is a relatively simple overview of the state of science. Most of his ideas are warranted and although they may be extreme it is a scientist’s job to confront and consider extreme ideas. And even if you disagree with Dr. Kaku this book is incredibly thought provoking.
Overall this is a very fascinating and well written book. The topics are very fascinating and for the most part well researched. This book is extremely thought provoking and if you are interested in the subject matters of advances of computational and medical technology then I suggest you pick it up at your local book store or library.
-Thanks for reading