European Visions for the Knowledge Age

How will information and communication technologies shape our future? What will the world be like in 10, 20 or even 30 year's time as a result of further advances in such technologies as the Internet? Will the application of these technologies in every aspect of human activity - in the home, at work, in public spaces, in hospitals, etc. - be a blessing or a curse? This book attempts to provide some answers to such questions, but without the resorting to unrealistic and exaggerated expectations. Based on the considered views of several European experts, European Visions for the Knowledge Age provides a multidisciplinary glimpse into some radical, and sometimes controversial, European perspectives on the future of the information society. The contributors to this edited book address what could be, what should be, and sometimes warn about what should not be the future. All the contributions have been written with a wide audience in mind and both the technically and the non-technically oriented will find elements in the chapters that will challenge their world views and their taken for granted assumptions. The contents of the book are organised into five self-contained parts: European Manufacturing 2035; Novel Perspectives for Networked Intelligence; The Future of Body and Mind; New Directions for Power and Participation; and The Distant Horizon. Each section brings together a number of essays under a broad theme relevant to the future.