It's undeniable--technology is changing the way we think. But is it for the bett
er? Amid a chorus of doomsayers, Clive Thompson delivers a resounding "yes." The
Internet age has produced a radical new style of human intelligence, worthy of
both celebration and analysis. We learn more and retain it longer, write and thi
nk with global audiences, and even gain an ESP-like awareness of the world aroun
d us. Modern technology is making us smarter, better connected, and often deeper
--both as individuals and as a society.
In "Smarter Than You Think "Thompson s
hows that every technological innovation--from the written word to the printing
press to the telegraph--has provoked the very same anxieties that plague us toda
y. We panic that life will never be the same, that our attentions are eroding, t
hat culture is being trivialized. But as in the past, we adapt--learning to use
the new and retaining what's good of the old.