The retro future : {looking to the past to reinvent the future} / John Michael Greer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Greer, John Michael, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Progress.

Regression (Civilization).

Civilization, Modern--21st century--Forecasting.

Civilization, Modern.

Technology--Social aspects.

Technology.

Civilization, Modern--Forecasting.

Forecasting.

Physical Description:

ix, 229 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Gabriola Island, BC, Canada : New Society Publishers, [2017]

Summary:

"To most people paying attention to the collision between industrial society and the hard limits of a finite planet, it's clear that things are going very, very wrong. We no longer have unlimited time and resources to deal with the crises that define our future, and the options are limited to the tools we have on hand right now. This book is about one very powerful option: deliberate technological regression. Technological regression isn't about 'going back,' it's about using the past as a resource to meet the needs of the present. It starts from the recognition that older technologies generally use fewer resources and cost less than modern equivalents, and it embraces the heresy of technological choice, our ability to choose or refuse the technologies pushed by corporate interests. People are already ditching smartphones in favor of 'dumb phones' and land lines and eBook sales are declining, while printed books rebound. Clear signs among many that blind faith in progress is faltering and opening up the possibility that the best way forward may well involve going back.

Contents:

1 The End of Progress 1

2 The Delusion of Control 25

3 Going Forward by Going Back 47

4 The Heresy of Technological Choice 71

5 Sustainable Technologies 93

6 Mentats Wanted, Will Train 119

7 The Butlerian Carnival 151

8 The Future of Civilization 175.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-219) and index.

ISBN:

9780865718661

0865718660

OCLC:

974677104