In elegantly clear and engaging prose, Arthur offers a bold, groundbreaking theory, arguing that new technologies emerge by a process of evolution. Asserting that technology does not spring from the human mind, Arthur assumes the controversial stance that “technology builds itself from itself with the agency of human inventors much as a coral reef builds itself from the activities of small organisms.” The Nature of Technology explains how new types of scientific innovations arise, from the very first and most primitive discoveries in prehistory up to the most sophisticated twenty-first century breakthroughs. Calling on his encyclopedic knowledge, Arthur makes the provocative claim that all technologies descend from prior ones, much like the tree of life.

The Nature of Technology is the work of one of our greatest thinkers at the top of his game, composing a classic for our times that is sure to generate wide acclaim.  less