What Should We Be Worried About?

<p>Drawing from the horizons of science today's leading thinkers reveal the hidden threats nobody is talking about--and expose the false fears everyone else is distracted by.</p><p>What should we be worried about? That is the question John Brockman publisher of Edge.org (The world's smartest website--<em>The Guardian</em>) posed to the planet's most influential minds. He asked them to disclose something that for scientific reasons worries them--particularly scenarios that aren't on the popular radar yet. Encompassing neuroscience economics philosophy physics psychology biology and more--here are 150 ideas that will revolutionize your understanding of the world.</p><p>Steven Pinker uncovers the real risk factors for war ● Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi peers into the coming virtual abyss ● Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek laments our squandered opportunities to prevent global catastrophe ● Seth Lloyd calculates the threat of a financial black hole ● Alison Gopnik on the loss of childhood ● Nassim Nicholas Taleb explains why firefighters understand risk far better than economic experts ● Matt Ridley on the alarming re-emergence of superstition ● Daniel C. Dennett and george dyson ponder the impact of a major breakdown of the Internet ● Jennifer Jacquet fears human-induced damage to the planet due to the Anthropocebo Effect ● Douglas Rushkoff fears humanity is losing its soul ● Nicholas Carr on the patience deficit ● Tim O'Reilly foresees a coming new Dark Age ● Scott Atran on the homogenization of human experience ● Sherry Turkle explores what's lost when kids are constantly connected ● Kevin Kelly outlines the looming underpopulation bomb ● Helen Fisher on the fate of men ● Lawrence Krauss dreads what we don't know about the universe ● Susan Blackmore on the loss of manual skills ● Kate Jeffery on the death of death ● plus J. Craig Venter Daniel Goleman Virginia Heffernan Sam Harris Brian Eno Martin Rees and more</p>