Future Perfect by Steven Johnson

Future Perfect: The Case for Progress in a Networked Age by Steven Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Future Perfect by Steven Johnson is a book about a big idea.  And Johnson is a good person to guide you through the big idea, he has dealt with big ideas and he is quite adapt at presenting the cross coupled and complex ideas adroitly.
In this case, the idea has to do with peer-to-peer networks.  While the name itself sound like it has something to do computer and communication technology, it is a very interesting concept which can be implemented without the help of technology, although it surely could help.  The gist of the idea is that in a peer-to-peer network there is no top or bottom, the network just is.  There is no centralized command and control, the network exists to pass information efficiently amongst those who need information to thrive and survive.  This concept, when extrapolated to other networks, for example: communities, journalism, technology, labor, governance, and corporate structures, can redefine and revolutionize the way these networks work or not work. 
Very importantly, Johnson is careful in trying to divorce the reader’s mind from the status quo views of the society.  He emphasizes that most people distrust both big corporations and big government equally since both entities have demonstrated their incompetence in dealing with our problems.  Having our system of thought be strictly dictated by this dichotomous structure is what is hindering our progress towards solving problems.  John son then gives examples in various networks and presents ground breaking cases where the peer-to-peer networks in various forms are implemented.
The structure of the book gives the impression that these implementations are organic outgrowths of independent thought, and that the author is the one who vaguely recognized the structures, which is how the book is born.  I am not sure if that is the case, I do not doubt the author and it seems plausible.  The author actually does a very good job of telling the stories in great detail as well as explaining the intricate comings and goings of the networks.  I truly enjoyed reading the book, it will take me a long time to revisit and re-think the premise and the evidence presented.  This is not a book that will leave you once you are done reading it.  The echoes of the big idea will resonate and haunt my thoughts for a while yet.
The one thing that was kind of an anomaly within the book is the attacks that the author launches against teachers unions, and he does this without any apparently reason nor any basis for introducing the subject into the discussion.  It is an odd and jarring broadside which surfaces time and time again.
Overall I would say this is an excellent and thoughtful introduction to a big idea.  The book was well conceived and well presented.  It does require some original thought on the part of the reader to absorb the concept and be able to accept the premise of the idea.




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