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What Technology Wants

What Technology Wants

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  • Create Date：2021-09-06 10:02:15
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Kevin Kelly
  • ISBN：0143120174
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Summary

From the author of the New York Times bestseller The Inevitable-- a sweeping vision of technology as a living force that can expand our individual potential


In this provocative book， one of today's most respected thinkers turns the conversation about technology on its head by viewing technology as a natural system， an extension of biological evolution。 By mapping the behavior of life， we paradoxically get a glimpse at where technology is headed-or what it wants。 Kevin Kelly offers a dozen trajectories in the coming decades for this near-living system。 And as we align ourselves with technology's agenda， we can capture its colossal potential。 This visionary and optimistic book explores how technology gives our lives greater meaning and is a must-read for anyone curious about the future。

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Reviews

Jeremy ，

This was a pretty good read。 The main insight Kelly offers is the "technium"， which encompasses all of the technology and surrounding culture around us。 I found his vision of technology and the moderation we need to keep in mind all the time to be compelling。 I don't agree with everything he said （particularly when he started talking about quantum physics！）， but his perspective is useful in thinking about the upsides and downsides of technology。 This was a pretty good read。 The main insight Kelly offers is the "technium"， which encompasses all of the technology and surrounding culture around us。 I found his vision of technology and the moderation we need to keep in mind all the time to be compelling。 I don't agree with everything he said （particularly when he started talking about quantum physics！）， but his perspective is useful in thinking about the upsides and downsides of technology。 。。。more

Jeff Berman ，

Kevin Kelly's thoughts are so original， I needed to read even slower than usual to allow extra time to take them in。 They don't immediately attach to what I thought I knew。 Considering technology as not only an evolutionary force but a direct continuation of biology leads to a fascinating exploration of what the heck is going on around here。 Kelly wrote this more than 10 years ago now。 It's still worthwhile。 Kevin Kelly's thoughts are so original， I needed to read even slower than usual to allow extra time to take them in。 They don't immediately attach to what I thought I knew。 Considering technology as not only an evolutionary force but a direct continuation of biology leads to a fascinating exploration of what the heck is going on around here。 Kelly wrote this more than 10 years ago now。 It's still worthwhile。 。。。more

Rik Van Bruggen ，

This book was a journey for me， as I imagine it must have been for its author。 I came very close to not finishing it multiple times， as I thought the winding bends of logic did not always contribute to the beautifully simple point of the book。 I will not post any spoilers， but suffice to say that I ended up liking， even loving the message of the book - but feel like it could have been better written。

Gints Dreimanis ，

It's ok。 But go read "The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves" by W。 Brian Arthur instead。 It's ok。 But go read "The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves" by W。 Brian Arthur instead。 。。。more

Rhys Lindmark ，

This book is probably the closest to the book I'm currently writing， so I was excited to dive in。In some ways， it was exactly what I hoped for: something that explores the evolution of technology from an evolutionary biology perspective。 It references all the same books I'm reading on Big History like John Maynard Smith's "Origins of Life" and Cosmic Evolution。But in the end I found it fell short。 There were a lot of stats， but no clear claims。 The predictions on the future were too scattershot。 This book is probably the closest to the book I'm currently writing， so I was excited to dive in。In some ways， it was exactly what I hoped for: something that explores the evolution of technology from an evolutionary biology perspective。 It references all the same books I'm reading on Big History like John Maynard Smith's "Origins of Life" and Cosmic Evolution。But in the end I found it fell short。 There were a lot of stats， but no clear claims。 The predictions on the future were too scattershot。 。。。more

Peter Boyce II ，

Required reading for technologists。 Some parts skippable。 Some parts are industry cheat-codes。

Ardavan Mir ，

For me， this book was a useful analytical tool for exploring technological evolution。 It's a novel schema for making sense of the progress of technology， and provides a decent framework to contemplate its trajectory。In this book， Kelly examines technology as a continuum of the natural evolution that had begun eons ago which resulted in the transformation of inanimate matter into thinking brains。 It is the seventh kingdom of life which he calls Technium。 In his argument， Technium is formed and dr For me， this book was a useful analytical tool for exploring technological evolution。 It's a novel schema for making sense of the progress of technology， and provides a decent framework to contemplate its trajectory。In this book， Kelly examines technology as a continuum of the natural evolution that had begun eons ago which resulted in the transformation of inanimate matter into thinking brains。 It is the seventh kingdom of life which he calls Technium。 In his argument， Technium is formed and driven by the same natural forces， so it's moving in the same direction as life is。 It coexists and coevolves with other forms of life with the same aim of escaping entropy by self-organizing into order。Technium， he identifies， as inevitable and convergent like the biological progression， and he argues， it's through understanding these qualities of Technium we can know "What it wants"。 He points out several other qualities for Technium throughout the book with biological precedents that shape the path it's taking。I rate this book as 5， not because I agree with everything he says in it but because of the creative grand thesis that it presents with a decent amount of supporting evidence。 。。。more

Richard Swan ，

It has its （very occasional） moments， but overall this sprawling paean to technology disappoints because its sweeping generalisations fail to convince， and therefore the central argument fails。 It hopes to be messianic， but the ‘-ianic’ bit is defective。

Kimball ，

3。5 stars。 I liked that he biked across the US。 And he said his favorite part was riding through the Amish communities。 I'm surprised this guy promotes technology and innovation when he uses so little of it。But like the Joker， "I only have one question！ What。。。is。。the Technium exactly？"Notes:"Always act to increase the number of choices。 In any game play to increase your options。" I like this。Language allows the mind to give it power。The more nomadic the tribe the more peaceful it can be because 3。5 stars。 I liked that he biked across the US。 And he said his favorite part was riding through the Amish communities。 I'm surprised this guy promotes technology and innovation when he uses so little of it。But like the Joker， "I only have one question！ What。。。is。。the Technium exactly？"Notes:"Always act to increase the number of choices。 In any game play to increase your options。" I like this。Language allows the mind to give it power。The more nomadic the tribe the more peaceful it can be because it can flee。 When numbers are equal， primitive tribes usually beat the armies of civilizations。 Exitropy is negative entropy。 It's the absence of the absence of order: IE an increase in order， information。Declining population is almost always associated with declining prosperity。The moon helps slow down the Earth's rotation to lengthen the day and stabilize it over the long term。 The ice from comets may have given earth it's oceans。 Dig deep enough in the history of any type of discovery in any field and you'll find more than one claim for the first priority。 Multiple inventions at the same time happen all the time， there are parallel parts all around。 Even Harry Potter wasn't originally inspired。 Maybe this is the parallel universe that people are talking about？ The paths of technology are inevitable。The blow gun was invented twice， in America and Asia。 That's neat that picture phones was a concept in 1964。Railroads and rockets are 4'8" wide because of two horses A-words from 2000 years ago。 He said we have identified 5% of the species on earth， then a few sentences later he says no one has any idea how many species are on Earth。 Uhhhh。As machines take over more of what humans once did， we tend to do less of the familiar。 Duplicating vital human capacities can have one of only two consequences， atrophying the capacities or creating competition between homo-sapiens and machine。 Technology chips away at our dignity。 Technological innovation cannot be reversed。Some people confuse latitude with freedom， enjoying great liberty with limited choices。 Safety devices and procedures often create new accidents by making one more opportunity for things to go wrong。 For example， adding security forces at an airport can increase the number of people with access to critical areas which is a decrease in security。The greater the potential for a technology the more damage it can potentially do， also。Ubiquity breeds certainty。The Haves （people who jump on innovation early） fund the technology for the Have Laters （people who are slow to adopting technologies and ideas。 In other words， the rich fund the development of the cheap technology for the poor。 Instead of worrying about a particular technology。 The problem becomes the ubiquity of it。 Like when 7 billion are on the internet at once。The mind is a choice factory。 More opportunities are more freedom。 And more freedom is being more human。Finite games you play to win and your bound to rules that are spelled out and enforced。 Players play within boundaries。 Every game created is an example of this。Infinite games don't end and rules can change to keep the game playing。 Players lay with boundaries。 Infinite games are evolution， life， mind， and the technium。 。。。more

Turgut ，

Kevin Kelly is one of the most knowledgeable and well-informed people on technology issues and matters。

Shawn Persinger ，

I had high expectations for this book （I've enjoyed listening to interviews with Kevin Kelly）， which were not met。 Too many laundry lists and tautological。 I had high expectations for this book （I've enjoyed listening to interviews with Kevin Kelly）， which were not met。 Too many laundry lists and tautological。 。。。more

Miguel Panão ，

Provocative， occasionally disagreeable， which is why it is an thoughtful and inspiring book。

Tija Bija ，

Just started to read it yesterday。 So many good insights into history of technology， how it makes us human and how human， in fact， is being used by technology （actually vice versa）。 Each new innovation comes only when there is an appropriate environment - proper tools and base of ideas - that guides birth of new technology。 For Kelly （each） technology is like a species that "instead of expressing the work of genes （。。） expresses ideas。" These species follow evolution growth， some species die （be Just started to read it yesterday。 So many good insights into history of technology， how it makes us human and how human， in fact， is being used by technology （actually vice versa）。 Each new innovation comes only when there is an appropriate environment - proper tools and base of ideas - that guides birth of new technology。 For Kelly （each） technology is like a species that "instead of expressing the work of genes （。。） expresses ideas。" These species follow evolution growth， some species die （become obsolescent）， just like nature we know。 I am already acquainted by ideas of McLuhan and Koert van Mensvort （Next Nature）， this book is like a match that sets on fire new perception。 "Technium" as the evolutionary organism that is physical extension of human mind。 Technium and humankind both depend on each other （co-evolutionary relations）。 。。。more

Mohammed J。 Al-Matar ，

ما تريده التكنولوجيا؟عندما ترى عنوان الكتاب ربما ستظن بأنه كتاب تكنولوجي بحت، هو ليس كذلك أبدًا، سؤال ضخم جدًا ذهب بالكاتب لأماكن شاسعة نائية بعيدة، بدأ بنشوء الإنسان وأصوله، ثم نشوء الكون بدءًا من الإنفجار العظيم وماتلاه، بعد ذلك نشوء الحياة الفطرية ماقبل الإنسان والحيوانات بسنين كثيرة، وتحدث عن الزراعة وماقبلها والمدن والقرى。أعاد صياغة تعريف التكنولوجيا المتعارف عليه، وتعريف شمل كل شيء صنعه الحيوان والإنسان من أدوات بدائية كانت أو معقدة، طرق البقاء، الطعام، المسكن، كل شيء خارج البيولوجيا。قارن ما تريده التكنولوجيا؟عندما ترى عنوان الكتاب ربما ستظن بأنه كتاب تكنولوجي بحت، هو ليس كذلك أبدًا، سؤال ضخم جدًا ذهب بالكاتب لأماكن شاسعة نائية بعيدة، بدأ بنشوء الإنسان وأصوله، ثم نشوء الكون بدءًا من الإنفجار العظيم وماتلاه، بعد ذلك نشوء الحياة الفطرية ماقبل الإنسان والحيوانات بسنين كثيرة، وتحدث عن الزراعة وماقبلها والمدن والقرى。أعاد صياغة تعريف التكنولوجيا المتعارف عليه، وتعريف شمل كل شيء صنعه الحيوان والإنسان من أدوات بدائية كانت أو معقدة، طرق البقاء، الطعام، المسكن، كل شيء خارج البيولوجيا。قارن كثيرًا بين نظرية التطور والتكنولوجيا، ويعتبر مسيرتهما واحدة ليس منفصة بل تتابع واستمرار، بنفس الآليات والقوانين。يعتقد بأن التكنولوجيا حية ولها أهدافها كأي كائن حي، وربما الإنسان ليس إلا مجرد أداة بين يديها。طرق استدلاله أحيان تكون غير موفقة، يطرح قانون فيزيائي أو تطوري ثم فجأة يقول رأيتم هكذا هي التكنولوجيا！ تمنيت أن يكون أكثر تخصيصًا وغير عشوائي هكذا، يحتاج لتنظيم وتركيز أكثر。 。。。more

T B ，

This made me think。 A lot。 One limitation is that this book was published in 2010 so it's somewhat out of date on technology。 Also， as many authors seem to do， he belabors his points。 He reaches solid conclusions in three paragraphs but then goes on and on for 6 or 8 pages elaborating on his point。 Book publishers must put authors up to this to justify $30 book prices。 In every other way it was terrific。His main premise is that technology is evolving in a similar way to how biology is evolving。 This made me think。 A lot。 One limitation is that this book was published in 2010 so it's somewhat out of date on technology。 Also， as many authors seem to do， he belabors his points。 He reaches solid conclusions in three paragraphs but then goes on and on for 6 or 8 pages elaborating on his point。 Book publishers must put authors up to this to justify $30 book prices。 In every other way it was terrific。His main premise is that technology is evolving in a similar way to how biology is evolving。 People have always and will always seek tools that will better their lives and this search inexorably leads to improvements in our devices。 This process can't be stopped but it can be enhanced and， as the title says， that's what technology wants。 Kelly lays out a dozen ways we can set policies to enable technology to prosper。 More than anything - - get out of the way。 。。。more

the philoser ，

Easy to disagree with， hard to dislike。 Makes broad， contentious and sometimes superficial statements （biologists and philosophers may cringe at times） infused with a capitalist spirit and quite a bit of eyeroll-inducing grandiosity - yet it's really entertaining to read and contains such a rich collection of thought-provoking references and ideas。 Easy to disagree with， hard to dislike。 Makes broad， contentious and sometimes superficial statements （biologists and philosophers may cringe at times） infused with a capitalist spirit and quite a bit of eyeroll-inducing grandiosity - yet it's really entertaining to read and contains such a rich collection of thought-provoking references and ideas。 。。。more

Tristan ，

Jaron Lanier had a blurb about how everyone should read What Technology Wants， even though he disagrees with it。 Having found Jaron Lanier compelling （if overly wordy and at times confusing）， I figured I had better read Kevin Kelly to round out my worldview。 Much of this book is worth reading。 There’s a great section on the Unabomber， insight into the Amish， intriguing parallels between biology and technology， and some measured thinking about how we need technology to improve ourselves。 But in h Jaron Lanier had a blurb about how everyone should read What Technology Wants， even though he disagrees with it。 Having found Jaron Lanier compelling （if overly wordy and at times confusing）， I figured I had better read Kevin Kelly to round out my worldview。 Much of this book is worth reading。 There’s a great section on the Unabomber， insight into the Amish， intriguing parallels between biology and technology， and some measured thinking about how we need technology to improve ourselves。 But in hindsight， I don't think I should have bothered。Like so many books， Kelly could have made his point in half， or a third （or maybe even an eighth！） of the page count。 I lost count of the number of times he brought up the Big Bang to explain how the universe trends from simplicity to complexity。 Five times？ Ten times？ I don't know， but like so much of this book it felt frustratingly redundant。Basically， Kelly thinks that technology is an extension of evolution。 He sees evolution not as some sort of chance occurrence， but more as an inevitable progression towards complexity and intelligence。 Unlike orthodox biologists， he sees no problem ascribing progress to evolution， and would peg technology as the current pinnacle of evolution。 Even though I don't agree， this was the most interesting part of the book， as he made a strong case for the inevitability of certain trends， dabbling in a teleology that most scientists steer clear of。 He sees no discontinuity between biology and technology， saying that "We can think of [technology] as the further reorganization of information that began with the six kingdoms of life。 。。。 Just as the evolutionary tree of Sapiens branched off from its animal precursors long ago， [technology] now branches off from its precursor， the mind of the human animal。" He thinks that certain trends in the evolution of technology are bound to “kick in regardless of the social climate”， which to me seems like an overstatement symptomatic of Kelly's thinking。Kelly thinks that technology makes the world better because it increases human choice， while trending towards complexity， diversity， specialization， ubiquity， freedom， mutualism， sentience and beauty。 His actual arguments about “what technology wants” （the just-mentioned list） left me wanting。 Although he offers up biological analogies to support his points， he starts sounding like a bit of an unhinged Pollyanna here。 He’s got a confusing section about how free will originated with quantum randomness， thus is conserved throughout both biology and technology。 He anthropomorphizes to a degree that made me feel like he was trolling （on a couple of occasions he briefly states in parentheses that yes， his anthropomorphisms are valid）。 And on his section about mutualism he writes that whenever “we reinvent something， we’ll make it yet more mutualistic。” This book was published in 2010， and his confidence in the beneficence of tech is tough to square with the current incarnations of Facebook and Twitter。 （That said， I do have faith that eventually we’ll figure things out。 I just think that this has less to do with some laws of evolution of technology， and more with human ingenuity and hard work）。Kelly often talks about how he tries to minimize the technology he uses in his own life。 For his next book， he might want to try applying this principle to his word count。 Lots of good stuff in here， but I’d advise tracking down an interview with Kelly instead。 I doubt it’s what technology wants， but it’s what I wish I did rather than wade through this book。 。。。more

Dominic Pride ，

take time to read this。 kevin kelly posits that technology is not something hard and separate from ourselves。 it is instead an expression of our desires， it has its own life and in many ways like like itelf "wants to be born"。 essential reading for anyone who creates， sells， works with - or even uses - tech。 That's pretty much everyone。 take time to read this。 kevin kelly posits that technology is not something hard and separate from ourselves。 it is instead an expression of our desires， it has its own life and in many ways like like itelf "wants to be born"。 essential reading for anyone who creates， sells， works with - or even uses - tech。 That's pretty much everyone。 。。。more

Scott ，

In 1954， Heidegger published "The Question Concerning Technology，" where he attempted to identify technology's essence。 Kelly claims to be undertaking the same task here。 While Heidegger accomplished his effort in 19 pages， Kelly drags the reader through 359 pages of prolix techno-optimism masquerading as serious inquiry， including （on page 68） a demonstrable misreading of Heidegger's argument。While he proposes a compelling notion （that technology is a form of evolutionary life following a traje In 1954， Heidegger published "The Question Concerning Technology，" where he attempted to identify technology's essence。 Kelly claims to be undertaking the same task here。 While Heidegger accomplished his effort in 19 pages， Kelly drags the reader through 359 pages of prolix techno-optimism masquerading as serious inquiry， including （on page 68） a demonstrable misreading of Heidegger's argument。While he proposes a compelling notion （that technology is a form of evolutionary life following a trajectory independent of its human creators）， it rests on the weakest of scaffolding - a severe reliance on correlation as causation; the invention of tendentious concepts such as exotropy; an abundance of non-falsifiable theses; and the consistent construction of straw men to reinforce his argument。 While occasionally giving a nod to the negative impacts of technology， such acknowledgements are always rebutted by the simplistically naive claim that newer technology will save us。 Perhaps most troubling is Kelly's own lack of awareness or reflection on the worldview his argument is rooted in。 The book is largely an ode to "Progress" through technology without any actual definition of the term nor explanation as to why it is both desirable and inevitable。 With the unquestioned and unsupported adoption of the epistemology of modernity， the book's conclusions are foregone from the start and ultimately not that interesting。 。。。more

Leonardo ，

Lo recomienda Haidt al inicio de La mente de los justos。 Lo recomienda Haidt al inicio de La mente de los justos。 。。。more

Andrew ，

He makes the definition of technology so broad， that most of the book is about esoteric topics like the prehistoric era， the Amish， hippies， nomadic tribes， etc。 In short， there is very little in this bout about technology。 Yeah， you could count using a stick as a tool and technology， but that's not why I picked up this book。 A couple of good new ideas in the book， but it was painful to wade through hours of fluff between them。 He makes the definition of technology so broad， that most of the book is about esoteric topics like the prehistoric era， the Amish， hippies， nomadic tribes， etc。 In short， there is very little in this bout about technology。 Yeah， you could count using a stick as a tool and technology， but that's not why I picked up this book。 A couple of good new ideas in the book， but it was painful to wade through hours of fluff between them。 。。。more

Clint Carlson ，

Outstanding read that I'd recommend to everyone （note: technology doesn't = digital technology）。 A perfect companion to the recent writings of Pinker， Yuval Noah Harari， Rosling， and Harris。 Outstanding read that I'd recommend to everyone （note: technology doesn't = digital technology）。 A perfect companion to the recent writings of Pinker， Yuval Noah Harari， Rosling， and Harris。 。。。more

Iván ，

Un interesante libro sobre la tecnología y su impacto en la sociedad。

Nils ，

An quasi mystic paean to the inexorable momentum that the technological complex — which Kelly calls the technium — creates for itself。 Perhaps the deepest thinker of the Silicon Valley’s organic intellectuals， Kelly is clear eyed about the trade offs that technological civilization entails even if in the end he is clearly a partisan in favor of more technology。 The Unabomber was right empirically， he argues， but wrong normatively， because people in the end love their addictions and enjoy their s An quasi mystic paean to the inexorable momentum that the technological complex — which Kelly calls the technium — creates for itself。 Perhaps the deepest thinker of the Silicon Valley’s organic intellectuals， Kelly is clear eyed about the trade offs that technological civilization entails even if in the end he is clearly a partisan in favor of more technology。 The Unabomber was right empirically， he argues， but wrong normatively， because people in the end love their addictions and enjoy their symptoms。 In the end， however， as with all addictions， the solution lives in effecting change not in the offending substance but in the addict himself。 In the end Kelly advocates an “Amish hacker” approach to technology， which amounts in essence to being both mindful， analytical and intentional about how adopting any given technology is likely to change the relationships you want to sustain。 Contrary to popular belief， the Amish are not anti-technology， they are only against technologies that will disrupt their closed community。 。。。more

Delaney Turner ，

What does technology want？ To self-actualize， basically。 It's a life force of its own with rules and behaviors that we can study and understand， if not stop。 What does technology want？ To self-actualize， basically。 It's a life force of its own with rules and behaviors that we can study and understand， if not stop。 。。。more

Leonardo ，

Great view on the big picture of technology and the trends that transcend our current understanding of technology as a whole and not just what we see in front of us in our daily lives。

Andy ，

Interesting book， with the theme that technology has a life all of its own and demands us to feed it。 A very good primer of interest to all of us with an interest in technology and its implications。

Omar Olivares Urrutia ，

I think it's a great book if you're interested on technology on the broadest sense possible。 I admit it expanded my mind to see evolution of technology as something bigger than the humans make it happen。 I think it's a great book if you're interested on technology on the broadest sense possible。 I admit it expanded my mind to see evolution of technology as something bigger than the humans make it happen。 。。。more

Jeffrey ，

Lots of good nuggets to ponder， but it starts to grind towards the end。

Curtismchale ，

You really need to buy into Kelly’s argument that there is a 7th Classification （called Technium） which encompasses all of technology to buy into the whole book。 I’m not sure I do， but the rest of the book provided many interesting ideas which I want to pursue reading further on。One was a mention of When Things Bite Back， which is about technology that turns around and bites us instead of being all amazing。 Kelly says that we need to still try stuff and then as soon as we see bad things come mit You really need to buy into Kelly’s argument that there is a 7th Classification （called Technium） which encompasses all of technology to buy into the whole book。 I’m not sure I do， but the rest of the book provided many interesting ideas which I want to pursue reading further on。One was a mention of When Things Bite Back， which is about technology that turns around and bites us instead of being all amazing。 Kelly says that we need to still try stuff and then as soon as we see bad things come mitigate the bad things。 My question long term is， how can we predict better the bad things？ Kelly provides some ideas， but I feel like there could be more here。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=What Technology Wants

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=What Technology Wants&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,What Technology Wants&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0