Machine takeover

the long version

This book is intended to draw attention to some of the most important consequences of scientific and technological development, and attempts a study of a new society that is evolving and which is going through changes without our awareness of what these changes are or what they entail. This means that it is also concerned with one of the most important dangers that society faces. It has been said that 'physical pollution' is a threat to our future, but those who have concentrated on its dangers have utterly failed to see the vastly greater dangers that threaten us by what we call 'information pollution'. The threat lies in conjoining human frailties of greed for power and wealth, with the massive technical developments -- especially in information processing -- of today and tomorrow. Technological development greatly amplifies the best and also the worst features of social and economic development.--Preface.