tcranenj's review against another edition
4.0
Are we creating treatments and technologies to help the paralyzed move, the senile to remember and the locked-in ALS patient to communicate, or are we, like Daedalus and his son Icarus, flying too close to the sun. For Adam Piore, author of "The Body Builders: Inside the Science of the Engineered Human", the answer lies clearly with the more optimistic set of possibilities. Writing in a style similar to Mary Roach, Piore introduces us to a wide-ranging cast of scientists, engineers, tinkerers and patients to explore the leading edges of engineering of the human body and brain. While Piore's stories typically start with improvements to the lives of the disabled, the potential to enhance all of our lives and to stave of the ravages of time is really his essential thesis. The episodic nature of each chapter allows each story to stand on its own. Taken together, these stories provide a compelling arc exploring the limits of human potential in both mind and body. Strong stuff.
karo_stel's review against another edition
2.0
było ciężko, za dużo opisów i wątków biograficznych, za mało konkretów i schematów
jsjammersmith's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing. From start to finish I was left spellbound by the possibilities of technology that, is no longer the stuff of science fiction, but a steadily growing reality. Stories about a blind woman "seeing" again to a man becoming a musical prodigy after suffering a severe concussion, and a man essentially regrowing limbs offer up a profound sense of possibility for the future. Scientists and engineers are most likely the target audience of this book, but I hope that lovers of literature and future writers take the time to read Piore's work because it provides a glimpse into the future of what human civilization can and will be.
Technology forever alters the reality of those that participate and use it in their daily lives, and each time a new innovation reaches the markets or industries human changes significantly. Whether it was the industrial revolution or even the simple art of sharpening stones, humans beings rely on technology. Our creativity and being is intimately connected to innovation. Our reality is steadily going to change, and so a book like The Body Builders is a chance to reflect on what is possible, what is coming, and then ask the ultimate question, what will it mean to be a human being?
These questions are important, and I'll allow the reader to come to their own conclusion. But Piore provides at least one of the most clear answers in that being human is overcoming obstacles through persistence, innovation, and sheer force of will.
Technology forever alters the reality of those that participate and use it in their daily lives, and each time a new innovation reaches the markets or industries human changes significantly. Whether it was the industrial revolution or even the simple art of sharpening stones, humans beings rely on technology. Our creativity and being is intimately connected to innovation. Our reality is steadily going to change, and so a book like The Body Builders is a chance to reflect on what is possible, what is coming, and then ask the ultimate question, what will it mean to be a human being?
These questions are important, and I'll allow the reader to come to their own conclusion. But Piore provides at least one of the most clear answers in that being human is overcoming obstacles through persistence, innovation, and sheer force of will.
katebrarian's review
4.0
An interesting overview of basically how weird our bodies and brains are and how to take advantage of that weirdness to help people. Piore talks about the ethical lines a bit...where's the line between helping people to function normally and helping people become super-human, or using this technology for nefarious purposes like making them think or behave differently based on your own ideas of how it is moral to think or behave. I did disagree with him on one point - he said he was relieved to know that we still hadn't cracked the why's behind things like creativity and love, because some things should just stay mysterious. I say nah. I'm not one to think that knowing how or why something works makes it less beautiful or meaningful.
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