Machines That Become Us

Download Machines That Become Us PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351508024
Total Pages : 346 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (515 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Machines That Become Us by : James E. Katz

Download or read book Machines That Become Us written by James E. Katz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social critics and artificial intelligence experts have long prophesized that computers and robots would soon relegate humans to the dustbin of history. Many among the general population seem to have shared this fear of a dehumanized future. But how are people in the twenty-first century actually reacting to the ever-expanding array of gadgets and networks at their disposal? Is computer anxiety a significant problem, paralyzing and terrorizing millions, or are ever-proliferating numbers of gadgets being enthusiastically embraced? Machines that Become Us explores the increasingly intimate relationship between people and their personal communication technologies.In the first book of its kind, internationally recognized scholars from the United States and Europe explore this topic. Among the technologies analyzed include the Internet, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, networked homes, smart fabrics and wearable computers, interactive location badges, and implanted monitoring devices. The authors discuss critical policy issues, such as the problems of information resource access and equity, and the recently discovered digital dropouts phenomena.The use of the word become in the book's title has three different meanings. The first suggests how people use these technologies to broaden their abilities to communicate and to represent themselves to others. Thus the technologies become extensions and representatives of the communicators. A second sense of become applies to analysis of the way these technologies become physically integrated with the user's clothing and even their bodies. Finally, contributors examine fashion aspects and uses of these technologies, that is, how they are used in ways becoming to the wearer. The conclusions of many chapters are supported by data, including ethnographic observations, attitude surveys and case studies from the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Finland, and Norway. This approach is especially valuable

Machines That Become Us

Download Machines That Become Us PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351508032
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (515 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Machines That Become Us by : James E. Katz

Download or read book Machines That Become Us written by James E. Katz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-07-28 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Social critics and artificial intelligence experts have long prophesized that computers and robots would soon relegate humans to the dustbin of history. Many among the general population seem to have shared this fear of a dehumanized future. But how are people in the twenty-first century actually reacting to the ever-expanding array of gadgets and networks at their disposal? Is computer anxiety a significant problem, paralyzing and terrorizing millions, or are ever-proliferating numbers of gadgets being enthusiastically embraced? Machines that Become Us explores the increasingly intimate relationship between people and their personal communication technologies.In the first book of its kind, internationally recognized scholars from the United States and Europe explore this topic. Among the technologies analyzed include the Internet, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, networked homes, smart fabrics and wearable computers, interactive location badges, and implanted monitoring devices. The authors discuss critical policy issues, such as the problems of information resource access and equity, and the recently discovered digital dropouts phenomena.The use of the word become in the book's title has three different meanings. The first suggests how people use these technologies to broaden their abilities to communicate and to represent themselves to others. Thus the technologies become extensions and representatives of the communicators. A second sense of become applies to analysis of the way these technologies become physically integrated with the user's clothing and even their bodies. Finally, contributors examine fashion aspects and uses of these technologies, that is, how they are used in ways becoming to the wearer. The conclusions of many chapters are supported by data, including ethnographic observations, attitude surveys and case studies from the United States, Britain, France, Italy, Finland, and Norway. This approach is especially valuable

Thinking Machines

Download Thinking Machines PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1524704415
Total Pages : 288 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (247 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Thinking Machines by : Luke Dormehl

Download or read book Thinking Machines written by Luke Dormehl and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating look at Artificial Intelligence, from its humble Cold War beginnings to the dazzling future that is just around the corner. When most of us think about Artificial Intelligence, our minds go straight to cyborgs, robots, and sci-fi thrillers where machines take over the world. But the truth is that Artificial Intelligence is already among us. It exists in our smartphones, fitness trackers, and refrigerators that tell us when the milk will expire. In some ways, the future people dreamed of at the World's Fair in the 1960s is already here. We're teaching our machines how to think like humans, and they're learning at an incredible rate. In Thinking Machines, technology journalist Luke Dormehl takes you through the history of AI and how it makes up the foundations of the machines that think for us today. Furthermore, Dormehl speculates on the incredible--and possibly terrifying--future that's much closer than many would imagine. This remarkable book will invite you to marvel at what now seems commonplace and to dream about a future in which the scope of humanity may need to broaden itself to include intelligent machines.

Flesh and Machines

Download Flesh and Machines PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 037572527X
Total Pages : 274 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (757 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Flesh and Machines by : Rodney Brooks

Download or read book Flesh and Machines written by Rodney Brooks and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2003-02-04 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are we really on the brink of having robots to mop our floors, do our dishes, mow our lawns, and clean our windows? And are researchers that close to creating robots that can think, feel, repair themselves, and even reproduce? Rodney A. Brooks, director of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory believes we are. In this lucid and accessible book, Brooks vividly depicts the history of robots and explores the ever-changing relationships between humans and their technological brethren, speculating on the growing role that robots will play in our existence. Knowing the moral battle likely to ensue, he posits a clear philosophical argument as to why we should not fear that change. What results is a fascinating book that offers a deeper understanding of who we are and how we can control what we will become.

Machines that Become Us

Download Machines that Become Us PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 331 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (83 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Machines that Become Us by :

Download or read book Machines that Become Us written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 331 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers

Download Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 100059145X
Total Pages : 153 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (5 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers by : Mike Sharples

Download or read book Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers written by Mike Sharples and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2022-07-05 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fascinating book explores machines as authors of fiction, past, present, and future. For centuries, writers have dreamed of mechanical storytellers. We can now build these devices. What will be the impact on society of AI programs that generate original stories to entertain and persuade? What can we learn about human creativity from probing how they work? In Story Machines, two pioneers of creative artificial intelligence explore the design and impact of AI story generators. The book covers three themes: language generators that compose coherent text, storyworlds with believable characters, and AI models of human storytellers. Providing examples of story machines through the ages, it covers the history, recent developments, and future implications of automated story generation. Anyone with an interest in story writing will gain a new perspective on what it means to be a creative writer, what parts of creativity can be mechanized, and what is essentially human. Story Machines is for those who have ever wondered what makes a good story, why stories are important to us, and what the future holds for storytelling.

The Big Nine

Download The Big Nine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1541773748
Total Pages : 272 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (417 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Big Nine by : Amy Webb

Download or read book The Big Nine written by Amy Webb and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2019-03-05 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A call-to-arms about the broken nature of artificial intelligence, and the powerful corporations that are turning the human-machine relationship on its head. We like to think that we are in control of the future of "artificial" intelligence. The reality, though, is that we -- the everyday people whose data powers AI -- aren't actually in control of anything. When, for example, we speak with Alexa, we contribute that data to a system we can't see and have no input into -- one largely free from regulation or oversight. The big nine corporations -- Amazon, Google, Facebook, Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba, Microsoft, IBM and Apple--are the new gods of AI and are short-changing our futures to reap immediate financial gain. In this book, Amy Webb reveals the pervasive, invisible ways in which the foundations of AI -- the people working on the system, their motivations, the technology itself -- is broken. Within our lifetimes, AI will, by design, begin to behave unpredictably, thinking and acting in ways which defy human logic. The big nine corporations may be inadvertently building and enabling vast arrays of intelligent systems that don't share our motivations, desires, or hopes for the future of humanity. Much more than a passionate, human-centered call-to-arms, this book delivers a strategy for changing course, and provides a path for liberating us from algorithmic decision-makers and powerful corporations.

The First Book of Machines

Download The First Book of Machines PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Colchis Books
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 57 pages
Book Rating : 4./5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The First Book of Machines by : Walter Buehr

Download or read book The First Book of Machines written by Walter Buehr and published by Colchis Books. This book was released on with total page 57 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is about the story of modern machines, and how they do the world’s work. We shall see how raw materials, such as metals, wool and cotton fibers, and wood, are turned into automobiles, ships, typewriters, fabrics, and other useful products. Our machine age has made this possible, for only by machines can these many products be made cheaply and quickly. We shall also see how machines are able to do such varied jobs as threshing grain, machining engine blocks, or multiplying long rows of numbers. And later on, we shall learn how automation, the newest marvel of the machine age, teaches machines almost to “think” for themselves.

We Humans and the Intelligent Machines

Download We Humans and the Intelligent Machines PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung
ISBN 13 : 3867938857
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (679 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis We Humans and the Intelligent Machines by : Jörg Dräger

Download or read book We Humans and the Intelligent Machines written by Jörg Dräger and published by Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung. This book was released on 2020-04-09 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Defeat cancer before it develops. Prevent crime before it happens. Get the perfect job without having to know the right people. Algorithms turn long-wished-for dreams into reality. At the same time, they can weaken solidarity in healthcare systems, lead to discriminatory court judgements and exclude individuals from the labor market. Algorithms are already deeply determining our lives. This book uses illuminating examples to describe the opportunities and risks machine-based decision-making presents for each of us. It also offers specific suggestions for ensuring artificial intelligence serves society as it should.

The Age of Spiritual Machines

Download The Age of Spiritual Machines PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101077883
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (1 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Age of Spiritual Machines by : Ray Kurzweil

Download or read book The Age of Spiritual Machines written by Ray Kurzweil and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2000-01-01 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Bold futurist Ray Kurzweil, author of The Singularity Is Near, offers a framework for envisioning the future of machine intelligence—“a book for anyone who wonders where human technology is going next” (The New York Times Book Review). “Kurzweil offers a thought-provoking analysis of human and artificial intelligence and a unique look at a future in which the capabilities of the computer and the species that invented it grow ever closer.”—BILL GATES Imagine a world where the difference between man and machine blurs, where the line between humanity and technology fades, and where the soul and the silicon chip unite. This is not science fiction. This is the twenty-first century according to Ray Kurzweil, the “restless genius” (The Wall Street Journal), “ultimate thinking machine” (Forbes), and inventor of the most innovative and compelling technology of our era. In his inspired hands, life in the new millennium no longer seems daunting. Instead, it promises to be an age in which the marriage of human sensitivity and artificial intelligence fundamentally alters and improves the way we live. More than just a list of predictions, Kurzweil’s prophetic blueprint for the future guides us through the inexorable advances that will result in: • Computers exceeding the memory capacity and computational ability of the human brain (with human-level capabilities not far behind) • Relationships with automated personalities who will be our teachers, companions, and lovers • Information fed straight into our brains along direct neural pathways Eventually, the distinction between humans and computers will have become sufficiently blurred that when the machines claim to be conscious, we will believe them.

Machines We Trust

Download Machines We Trust PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262542099
Total Pages : 175 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (625 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Machines We Trust by : Marcello Pelillo

Download or read book Machines We Trust written by Marcello Pelillo and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experts from disciplines that range from computer science to philosophy consider the challenges of building AI systems that humans can trust. Artificial intelligence-based algorithms now marshal an astonishing range of our daily activities, from driving a car ("turn left in 400 yards") to making a purchase ("products recommended for you"). How can we design AI technologies that humans can trust, especially in such areas of application as law enforcement and the recruitment and hiring process? In this volume, experts from a range of disciplines discuss the ethical and social implications of the proliferation of AI systems, considering bias, transparency, and other issues. The contributors, offering perspectives from computer science, engineering, law, and philosophy, first lay out the terms of the discussion, considering the "ethical debts" of AI systems, the evolution of the AI field, and the problems of trust and trustworthiness in the context of AI. They go on to discuss specific ethical issues and present case studies of such applications as medicine and robotics, inviting us to shift the focus from the perspective of a "human-centered AI" to that of an "AI-decentered humanity." Finally, they consider the future of AI, arguing that, as we move toward a hybrid society of cohabiting humans and machines, AI technologies can become humanity's allies.

The Artist in the Machine

Download The Artist in the Machine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262042851
Total Pages : 429 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (62 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Artist in the Machine by : Arthur I. Miller

Download or read book The Artist in the Machine written by Arthur I. Miller and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-10-01 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An authority on creativity introduces us to AI-powered computers that are creating art, literature, and music that may well surpass the creations of humans. Today's computers are composing music that sounds “more Bach than Bach,” turning photographs into paintings in the style of Van Gogh's Starry Night, and even writing screenplays. But are computers truly creative—or are they merely tools to be used by musicians, artists, and writers? In this book, Arthur I. Miller takes us on a tour of creativity in the age of machines. Miller, an authority on creativity, identifies the key factors essential to the creative process, from “the need for introspection” to “the ability to discover the key problem.” He talks to people on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence, encountering computers that mimic the brain and machines that have defeated champions in chess, Jeopardy!, and Go. In the central part of the book, Miller explores the riches of computer-created art, introducing us to artists and computer scientists who have, among much else, unleashed an artificial neural network to create a nightmarish, multi-eyed dog-cat; taught AI to imagine; developed a robot that paints; created algorithms for poetry; and produced the world's first computer-composed musical, Beyond the Fence, staged by Android Lloyd Webber and friends. But, Miller writes, in order to be truly creative, machines will need to step into the world. He probes the nature of consciousness and speaks to researchers trying to develop emotions and consciousness in computers. Miller argues that computers can already be as creative as humans—and someday will surpass us. But this is not a dystopian account; Miller celebrates the creative possibilities of artificial intelligence in art, music, and literature.

Rise of the Machines

Download Rise of the Machines PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Green E Books
ISBN 13 : 9781938848322
Total Pages : 328 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (483 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Rise of the Machines by : Kristen Lamb

Download or read book Rise of the Machines written by Kristen Lamb and published by Green E Books. This book was released on 2013-09-24 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Get the book that has best-selling authors buzzing over the new age of publishing! ********* Here we are-the future is now. The machines have taken over. Everything is computerized. People no longer talk, they text. What number do we have to press to get a flesh and blood HUMAN? It's easy to feel like we're losing our humanity when surrounded by computers, cell phones, and text messaging, but here's the good news: The same machines that seem to be stealing our humanity also have the power to restore it. Yes, you read correctly. The more we embrace technology, the more distinctly human we can become. The new author in today's publishing world is a cyborg of sorts-part human, part machine. The machine part allows us to compose series of words, copy them, email them, and then send them across the globe with a push of a button. We can research faster and more accurately than ever before. We can communicate with people all over the planet real-time and virtually for free. The new power technology has given writers has made us, in effect, superhuman. Branding has broken free of marketing's shackles and merged with personal identity. If we want to thrive in our new environment, we need to adapt, to apply technology as an extension of our humanness. This is not a book to teach you 1,000 ways to blast people with advertising. The WANA Way is different than anything you've likely encountered. It is constructed using the timelessness of art, blended with the strength of human relationships. Platforms are more than a zillion ways to try to part readers from money; they are living works of art and meshed with the soul of the writer-artist. The machines are rising, but humans were here first. ******* WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING: "For writers, the purchase price of Kristen Lamb's Rise of the Machines should easily become the best investment you'll ever make for your writing career. In Kristen's brilliant and easy-to-grasp book, not only will you learn how to become a successful marketer of your work-whether it's published by a legacy press or self-published-and achieve significant and ever-increasing sales of your work, but you'll learn how to without spending hours and hours each week to do so. Rise of the Machines is the standard-the cutting edge." -- Les Edgerton, award-winning author of HOOKED and FINDING YOUR VOICE "In Rise of the Machines, Kristen Lamb has provided an invaluable compass for navigating the uncharted waters of 21st century publishing. I pity the writer working today who doesn't take advantage of the wealth of valuable insights and breakthrough methods contained in these pages." -David Corbett, award-winning author of THE ART OF CHARACTER

Human + Machine

Download Human + Machine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Harvard Business Press
ISBN 13 : 1633693872
Total Pages : 264 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (336 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Human + Machine by : Paul R. Daugherty

Download or read book Human + Machine written by Paul R. Daugherty and published by Harvard Business Press. This book was released on 2018-03-20 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: AI is radically transforming business. Are you ready? Look around you. Artificial intelligence is no longer just a futuristic notion. It's here right now--in software that senses what we need, supply chains that "think" in real time, and robots that respond to changes in their environment. Twenty-first-century pioneer companies are already using AI to innovate and grow fast. The bottom line is this: Businesses that understand how to harness AI can surge ahead. Those that neglect it will fall behind. Which side are you on? In Human + Machine, Accenture leaders Paul R. Daugherty and H. James (Jim) Wilson show that the essence of the AI paradigm shift is the transformation of all business processes within an organization--whether related to breakthrough innovation, everyday customer service, or personal productivity habits. As humans and smart machines collaborate ever more closely, work processes become more fluid and adaptive, enabling companies to change them on the fly--or to completely reimagine them. AI is changing all the rules of how companies operate. Based on the authors' experience and research with 1,500 organizations, the book reveals how companies are using the new rules of AI to leap ahead on innovation and profitability, as well as what you can do to achieve similar results. It describes six entirely new types of hybrid human + machine roles that every company must develop, and it includes a "leader’s guide" with the five crucial principles required to become an AI-fueled business. Human + Machine provides the missing and much-needed management playbook for success in our new age of AI. BOOK PROCEEDS FOR THE AI GENERATION The authors' goal in publishing Human + Machine is to help executives, workers, students and others navigate the changes that AI is making to business and the economy. They believe AI will bring innovations that truly improve the way the world works and lives. However, AI will cause disruption, and many people will need education, training and support to prepare for the newly created jobs. To support this need, the authors are donating the royalties received from the sale of this book to fund education and retraining programs focused on developing fusion skills for the age of artificial intelligence.

Slaves of the Machine

Download Slaves of the Machine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 9780262681025
Total Pages : 160 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (81 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Slaves of the Machine by : Gregory J. E. Rawlins

Download or read book Slaves of the Machine written by Gregory J. E. Rawlins and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 1997 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In "Moths to the Flame", Rawlins took lay readers on a tour of the exciting and sometimes scary world to which computers are leading us. Written in an accessible, anecdotal form, his newest book is for those who are new to computers and want to know what is "under the hood".

Robot

Download Robot PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780195136302
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (363 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Robot by : Hans P. Moravec

Download or read book Robot written by Hans P. Moravec and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this compelling book, Hans Moravec predicts that machines will attain human levels of intelligence by the year 2040, and that by 2050, they will surpass us. But even though Moravec predicts the end of the domination by human beings, his is not a bleak vision. Far from railing against a future in which machines rule the world, Moravec embraces it, taking the startling view that intelligent robots will actually be our evolutionary heirs. "Intelligent machines, which will grow from us, learn our skills, and share our goals and values, can be viewed as children of our minds." And since they are our children, we will want them to outdistance us. In fact, in a bid for immortality, many of our descendants will choose to transform into "ex humans," as they upload themselves into advanced computers. This provocative new book, the highly anticipated follow-up to his bestselling volume Mind Children, charts the trajectory of robotics in breathtaking detail. A must read for artificial intelligence, technology, and computer enthusiasts, Moravec's freewheeling but informed speculations present a future far different than we ever dared imagine.

To Be a Machine

Download To Be a Machine PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Anchor
ISBN 13 : 0385540426
Total Pages : 221 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (855 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis To Be a Machine by : Mark O'Connell

Download or read book To Be a Machine written by Mark O'Connell and published by Anchor. This book was released on 2017-02-28 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “This gonzo-journalistic exploration of the Silicon Valley techno-utopians’ pursuit of escaping mortality is a breezy romp full of colorful characters.” —New York Times Book Review (Editor's Choice) Transhumanism is a movement pushing the limits of our bodies—our capabilities, intelligence, and lifespans—in the hopes that, through technology, we can become something better than ourselves. It has found support among Silicon Valley billionaires and some of the world’s biggest businesses. In To Be a Machine, journalist Mark O'Connell explores the staggering possibilities and moral quandaries that present themselves when you of think of your body as a device. He visits the world's foremost cryonics facility to witness how some have chosen to forestall death. He discovers an underground collective of biohackers, implanting electronics under their skin to enhance their senses. He meets a team of scientists urgently investigating how to protect mankind from artificial superintelligence. Where is our obsession with technology leading us? What does the rise of AI mean not just for our offices and homes, but for our humanity? Could the technologies we create to help us eventually bring us to harm? Addressing these questions, O'Connell presents a profound, provocative, often laugh-out-loud-funny look at an influential movement. In investigating what it means to be a machine, he offers a surprising meditation on what it means to be human.