A Categorical Defense of Our Future by Esteban Montero and Brandon Baylor

  

“The future we envision needs more than a new device or product. It requires new paradigms, methodologies, education, norms, competencies, languages, technologies, and more” -from the introduction of this book, page xiv. 

Starting in Chapter one, I have learned that our choices we make, from the past and today, have consequences both good and bad. I liked the analogy of picking fast food and its alternatives, how there is a complex system to get to an answer of where we choose to eat. 

I learned about using labels for similar objects. I liked how the authors referred to us putting ourselves into boxes, or categories, and we lose sight of other parts of ourselves. Sometimes these labels are too many and cause confusion.

Montero and Baylor go into great detail about what is holding us back by removing the labels that prevent us from growing and learning, such as “I am only human.” To overcome these limitations, we have to learn to accept change and take the necessary steps to adapt and grow. We also need to learn that sometimes, we need to let things go. 

Chapter 5 has an introduction that is a  fantastic explanation of how to let things “be.” The idea is for us to take a moment, accept the nuances around us  and breathe. Once we have come to this state of mind, changes can happen. A clarity can overcome us, and we can see the changes and what steps to take. This chapter goes into great depth about what holds us back. 

Coming up with a new concept “compcreation”. The authors explain this new “system design” would identify and include unforeseen consequences when more than one component interacts. They continue to explain measures we can take to help further our advancements in technology. 

This thought provoking book will have you question the moral dilemmas that we, as humans, will experience in our lives, from day to day. The idea that our complicated lives will only become more convoluted over time because our technology is becoming more complex, will give you pause to reconsider how you live your life. The choices that we make, from the past and today, have consequences, both good and bad. The concept of this book is to understand the relationship we have living with harmony while living with complex machines and applications. Once you identify these complications and then understand them, you can make changes that will affect you and your world around you.