I’m currently learning how to code, so I figured reading an introduction to the tech field would be helpful. I guess seeing the big picture would help me navigate the ethical questions involved in the field, even though I’m supposed to be anti-tech as an English Lit grad. It’s sort of an unspoken rule at my school, really. Anyone in English lit (or, more accurately, people who are pro-classical lit and are anti emerging schools of thought like “digital humanities”… I mean, picture Harold Bloom reacting to the term “digital humanities”) is automatically against the developing world because people aren’t reading books any more.

Anyways, the book is really helpful for understanding how technological developments work and what we should do about the approaching mass unemployment caused by robots and computers replacing humans in everything. While the authors are optimistic (pro-tech), they are honest about policy changes that need to happen, like providing guaranteed income, allowing immigrants to innovate and create jobs again, and using technology to educate the urban poor.