Future Perfect, Steven Johnson
Future Perfect, Steven Johnson
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Future Perfect
The Case For Progress In A Networked Age

Author: Steven Johnson

Narrator: Samuel Cohen

Unabridged: 5 hr 26 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 09/18/2012

Synopsis

Combining the deft social analysis of Where Good Ideas Come From with the optimistic arguments of Everything Bad Is Good For You, New York Times bestselling author Steven Johnson’s Future Perfect makes the case that a new model of political change is on the rise, transforming everything from local governments to classrooms, from protest movements to health care. Johnson paints a compelling portrait of this new political worldview -- influenced by the success and interconnectedness of the Internet, but not dependent on high-tech solutions -- that breaks with the conventional categories of liberal or conservative thinking.

With his acclaimed gift for multi-disciplinary storytelling and big ideas, Johnson explores this new vision of progress through a series of fascinating narratives: from the “miracle on the Hudson” to the planning of the French railway system; from the battle against malnutrition in Vietnam to a mysterious outbreak of strange smells in downtown Manhattan; from underground music video artists to the invention of the Internet itself.

At a time when the conventional wisdom holds that the political system is hopelessly gridlocked with old ideas, Future Perfect makes the timely and inspiring case that progress is still possible, and that new solutions are on the rise. This is a hopeful, affirmative outlook for the future, from one of the most brilliant and inspiring visionaries of contemporary culture.

About The Author

Steven Johnson is the bestselling author of thirteen books, including Where Good Ideas Come From, How We Got to Now, The Ghost Map, and Extra Life. He’s the host and cocreator of the Emmy-winning PBS/BBC series How We Got to Now, the host of the podcast The TED Interview, and the author of the newsletter Adjacent Possible. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, and Marin County, California, with his wife and three sons.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Andreas on October 10, 2012

The first third of the book contains an interesting and highly readable popularisation of recent scientific texts on the role of networks in social organisation. Unfortunately the last two thirds of the book are filled with highly enthusiastic and uncritical examples of how these network structures......more

Goodreads review by Richard on November 25, 2012

Another good one from Steven Johnson, though better suited to someone who is relatively new to net culture and its politics. For someone like that, there is a lot here to think about, and (ideally) challenge one's assumptions. "Peer progressivism" is at least as good a name for the not-quite-yet pol......more

Goodreads review by Douglas on October 03, 2012

I became interested in reading this book after hearing the author discuss it on NPR. I was interested in considering it for a class I'm teaching in the Spring on social change. On the whole, I found it an interesting read. His main thesis is that new technology has allowed for new network structure......more

Goodreads review by José Antonio on January 11, 2015

Since I found out about Steven Johnson in his TED talk about Where good ideas come from I started reading his work. His book about the TED talk is great and his recent show in PBS "How we got to now" is great. I had great expectations about "Future Perfect". His core ideas are very interesting espec......more

Goodreads review by Patrick on December 04, 2012

In Future Perfect, bestselling author Steven Johnson (Everything Bad Is Good for You) declares himself a member of the new revolutionary party, the peer progressives. For the most part, it’s a quiet movement, steady, not inherently violent. The recent uprisings in Bahrain, Egypt, the Occupy Wall Str......more

Quotes

"[A]n interesting book, if you want to be optimistic about the future, by Steven Johnson, a great science writer." – Bill Clinton, speaking at The Health Matters conference

"Future Perfect provides an informative, tech-savvy and provocative vision of a new and more democratic public philosophy. It's a breath of fresh air in an age of gridlock, cynicism and disillusionment.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Mr. Johnson envisions a new political movement that embraces the potential of peer networks to improve government, medicine, education and journalism, among much else. He distinguishes ‘peer progressives’ from both libertarians and liberals. The former have too much faith in markets and too little in government, he says, and the latter vice versa. Peer progressives, though, believe that good can be accomplished by all organizations, in any combination, if they harness the power of peer networks.” — Wall Street Journal

“In clear and engaging prose, Johnson writes about this emerging movement . . . Future Perfect is a buoyant and hopeful book. Given the inability of our government to enact worthwhile change, and the near guarantee that Washington’s gridlock will only worsen regardless of which party wins this November, we’re going to need all the help we can get. Future Perfect reminds us we already have the treatment. We just need to use it.” — Boston Globe

“Forceful argument for a new politics modeled on the structure of the Internet. A thought-provoking, hope-inspiring manifesto.”—Kirkus Reviews
 
“A wide-ranging sketch of possibilities...frequently inspiring. Above all, it's exciting to reflect on the possibility that the many achievements of the Silicon Valley revolution might be compatible, rather than in tension, with a progressive focus on social justice and participatory democracy.”—The Guardian (UK)
 
“Fascinating and compelling...Stimulating and challenging, Johnson’s thought-provoking ideas steer us steadily into the future.”—Publishers Weekly

 

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