{"id":18,"date":"2014-01-28T20:45:31","date_gmt":"2014-01-28T20:45:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/?page_id=18"},"modified":"2023-03-03T18:12:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-04T01:12:56","slug":"the-glass-cage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/?page_id=18","title":{"rendered":"The Glass Cage"},"content":{"rendered":"

“[A] chastening meditation on the human future.”\u00a0\u2014New York Review of Books<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Essential.” \u2014New York Times Book Review<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Not only persuasive but undoubtedly right.”\u00a0\u2014Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“A cultural manifesto.” \u2014Los Angeles Review of Books<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us<\/em>, his widely praised\u00a0follow-up to the\u00a0Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Shallows<\/em>, bestselling author Nicholas Carr explores how\u00a0our ever growing dependency on computers, apps, and robotics is reshaping our jobs, talents, and lives.<\/p>\n

\"cagepbk\"<\/a>Digging\u00a0behind the headlines about artificial intelligence\u00a0and self-driving cars, digitized medicine and workplace robots, Carr\u00a0explores the hidden costs of granting software dominion over our work and our leisure. Drawing on studies that underscore how tightly our sense of happiness and personal fulfillment\u00a0is tied to performing skilled\u00a0work in the real world, he\u00a0reveals something we already suspect: shifting our attention to computer screens can leave us disengaged and discontented. Our lives may be\u00a0easier inside the glass cage, but something essential is missing.<\/p>\n

From doctors’ offices\u00a0to the cockpits of passenger\u00a0jets, from the frozen hunting grounds of Inuit tribes to the sterile landscapes of GPS maps,\u00a0The Glass Cage\u00a0<\/em>explores the impact of automation from a deeply human perspective. Mixing\u00a0history and philosophy, poetry and science, the book culminates\u00a0in a moving meditation on how we can use technology to expand the human experience rather than narrow it.<\/p>\n

Buy the book:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paperback: Bookstore.org<\/a>:\u00a0Barnes & Noble<\/a>\u00a0: Amazon<\/a>
\n<\/a>Digital: Nook<\/a> :\u00a0Kindle<\/a>\u00a0:\u00a0iBooks<\/a><\/p>\n

Praise for The Glass Cage:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

“Nicholas Carr is among the most lucid, thoughtful, and necessary thinkers alive. He\u2019s also terrific company.\u00a0The Glass Cage<\/em>\u00a0should be required reading for everyone with a phone.\u201d \u2014Jonathan Safran Foer<\/p>\n

“A very necessary book, that we ignore at our peril. I read it without putting it down.” \u2014Iain McGilchrist, author of The Master and His Emissary<\/em><\/p>\n

“Essential … Read it yourself. Read the whole book, if you want to understand the dangers that many forms of automative intermediation pose to what Carr (and I, and I bet you) think is the best way of living in the world.” \u2014Daniel Menaker, New York Times Book Review<\/em><\/p>\n

“Excellent … The Glass Cage<\/em> is infused with a humanist perspective that puts people and their needs at the centre of the argument around automation and the alienation created by many modern systems. … So put down your phone, take off your Google Glass and read this.” \u2014Bill Thompson, BBC Focus<\/em><\/p>\n

“[A] chastening meditation on the human future … There have been few cautionary voices like Nicholas Carr\u2019s urging us to take stock, especially, of the effects of automation on our very humanness\u2014what makes us who we are as individuals\u2014and on our humanity\u2014what makes us who we are in aggregate.” \u2014Sue Halpern, New York Review of Books<\/em><\/p>\n

“Nick Carr is our most informed, intelligent critic of technology. Since we are going to automate everything, Carr persuades us that we should do it wisely \u2014\u00a0with mindful automation. Carr’s human-centric technological future is one you might actually want to live in.” \u2014Kevin Kelly, author of What Technology Wants<\/em><\/p>\n

“Carr\u2019s prose is elegant, and he has an exceptional command of the facts. He serves a varied menu of the ways that technology has failed us, and in every instance he is not only persuasive but undoubtedly right.” \u2014Daniel Levitin,\u00a0Wall Street Journal<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWritten with restrained objectivity,\u00a0The Glass Cage<\/em>\u00a0is nevertheless scary as any sci-fi thriller could be. It forces readers to reflect on what they already suspect, but don’t want to admit, about how technology is shaping our lives.\u201d \u2014Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience;<\/em>\u00a0professor of psychology and management, Claremont Graduate University<\/p>\n

“The Glass Cage<\/em> re-defines the meaning of ‘must read.’ As in … M-U-S-T \u00a0R-E-A-D.” \u2014Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence<\/em><\/p>\n

“A powerful and compelling book.” \u2014The Mail on Sunday<\/em><\/p>\n

“Carr brilliantly and scrupulously explores all the psychological and economic angles of our increasingly problematic reliance on machinery and microchips to manage almost every aspect of our lives. A must-read for software engineers and technology experts in all corners of industry as well as everyone who finds himself or herself increasingly dependent on and addicted to gadgets.” \u2014Booklist<\/em> (starred review)<\/p>\n

“Carr\u2019s astute survey of automation shows just how quickly and uncritically we have outsourced the daily experience of being human to algorithms and machines, and how crucial it is to stop and reflect on what we are doing to ourselves. …\u00a0Carr\u2019s book is a reminder that we ought to expect more from ourselves.\u201d \u2014Christine Rosen, Democracy<\/em><\/p>\n

“Superb …\u00a0Carr \u2014 one of our greatest technology critics \u2014 expands his focus to describe the nature of tool-using in a world where machines are constantly saying, ‘allow me.’ His assessment is fascinating, balanced and packed with fuel for dinner table arguments.” \u2014Michael Harris, Ottawa Citizen<\/em><\/p>\n

“This deep dive into everything from wearables to driverless cars is a fascinating look at how automation changes the way people think and act. It raises some serious questions about the future of technology and artificial intelligence.” \u2014Alan Murray,\u00a0Fortune<\/em><\/p>\n

“Carr draws on a formidable array of research, spiked with resonant anecdotes, to press his case; his facility at joining the dots makes The Glass Cage<\/em> a mellifluous read.” \u2014Sumit Paul-Choudhury, Literary Review<\/em><\/p>\n

“In\u00a0The Glass Cage<\/em>\u00a0[Carr] brings a much-needed humanistic perspective to the wider issues of automation. In an age of technological marvels, it is easy to forget the human.” \u2014Richard Waters, Financial Times<\/em><\/p>\n

“The Glass Cage<\/em>\u00a0is smart, insightful, and at times funny, as it takes readers through a series of anecdotes, academic research, and current and historical events to paint a portrait of a world readily handing itself over to intelligent devices.” \u2014Jacob Axelrad, Christian Science Monitor<\/em><\/p>\n

“Brilliantly written, incisively argued, masterfully researched and morally moving.” \u2014Gaylord Dold, The Wichita Eagle<\/em><\/p>\n

“Thoughtful and terrifying …\u00a0The Glass Cage<\/em>\u00a0is not an anti-technology book by any means, but it does pose big, difficult questions.” \u2014Esther Cepeda,\u00a0Dallas Morning News<\/em><\/p>\n

“Elegantly persuasive.” \u2014John Preston, The Telegraph<\/em><\/p>\n

“[An] incredible synthesis …\u00a0Carr provides an elegantly written history of what role robotics have played in our past, and the possible role that they may play in our future.\u00a0In a world where there\u2019s a lot of technology cheerleaders, Carr is one of our most valuable skeptics.” \u2014Elisabeth Donnelly, Flavorwire<\/em><\/p>\n

“Without resorting to scare tactics or sermonizing on the dangers of overautomation, [Carr’s]\u00a0book details in careful, measured ways both the promise of mechanization and its drawbacks\u00a0…\u00a0His historical, inclusive approach makes an issue most of those already deeply steeped in technology won\u2019t find at all surprising \u2014 that what we\u2019re losing might outweigh what we gain by relying on computers \u2014 a stimulating, absorbing read.” \u2014Michelle Scheraga, Associated Press<\/p>\n

“Where other critics are shrill and frothy, Carr is level-headed; an eloquent writer and a subtle thinker.” \u2014Andrew Leonard, Medium<\/em><\/p>\n

“Masterful and mind-boggling.” \u2014Paul DiFilippo, Barnes & Noble Review<\/em><\/p>\n

“Nicholas Carr\u00a0[is]\u00a0one of America\u2019s foremost technology critics … In his latest book,\u00a0The Glass Cage<\/em>, Carr argues that we have failed to consider the hidden costs of automation, that our penchant for delegating mundane tasks to technology is misguided, and that we must redesign our favorite technologies in such a way that humans take on more responsibility \u2014 both of the moral and perceptual varieties \u2014 for operating in the world.” \u2014Evgeny Morozov, The Baffler<\/em><\/p>\n

“Provocative …\u00a0Who is it serving, this new technology, asks Carr. Us? Or the companies that make billions from it? Billions that have shown no evidence of trickling down. The question shouldn\u2019t be ‘who cares?’ he says at one point. It should be: how far from the world do we want to retreat?” \u2014Carole Cadwalladr, The Observer<\/em><\/p>\n

“Carr, the consistently trenchant analyst of technological change who wrote The Shallows<\/em>, here offers a thoughtful and sometimes disturbing account, grounded in science and poetry alike, of the ways that our increasing reliance on technology is affecting our happiness and re-shaping our humanity.” \u2014Forbes<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cArtificial intelligence has that name for a reason \u2014 it isn\u2019t natural, it isn\u2019t human. As Nicholas Carr argues so gracefully and convincingly in\u00a0this important, insightful book, it is time for people to regain the art of thinking. It is time to invent a world where machines are subservient to the needs and wishes of humanity.\u201d \u2014Donald Norman, author of Things that Make Us Smart<\/em> and Design of Everyday Things;<\/em>\u00a0director of the University of California San Diego Design Lab<\/p>\n

“Most of us, myself included, are too busy tweeting to notice our march into technological de-humanization. Nicholas Carr applies the brakes\u00a0for us (and our self-driving cars). Smart and concise, this book will change the way you think about the growing automation of our lives.” \u2014Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story<\/em> and Little Failure<\/em><\/p>\n

“Nick Carr is the rare thinker who understands that technological progress is both essential and worrying. The Glass Cage<\/em> is a call for technology that complements our human capabilities, rather than replacing them.” \u2014Clay Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody<\/em> and Cognitive Surplus<\/em><\/p>\n

“Sweeping, engaging, informative, [The Glass Cage<\/em>]\u00a0elicits much needed reflection on the philosophical and ethical implications of over-reliance on automation. Carr deftly incorporates hard research and historical developments with philosophy and prose to depict how technology is changing the way we live our lives and the world we find ourselves in.” \u2014Publishers Weekly<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cA sobering new analysis of the hazards of intelligent technology … We can’t say we weren’t warned.\u201d \u2014Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe<\/em><\/p>\n

“Fresh and powerful.” \u2014Mark Bauerlein, The Weekly Standard<\/em><\/p>\n

“Very good …\u00a0The Glass Cage<\/em>\u00a0warns that we may be creating a technological environment that erodes our skills, anaesthetises our curiosity and dims our critical faculties. From airline cockpits to central heating systems, cars and phones, we are swaddling ourselves in technologies whose workings we don\u2019t understand, and that ask so little of us that we feel no need to enquire further.” \u2014Ian Leslie, New Statesman<\/em><\/p>\n

“A\u00a0book that impressively extends and deepens the argument of\u00a0The Shallows<\/span><\/em>. Carr has proven to be among the shrewdest and most thoughtful critics of our current technological regime; his primary goal is to exhort us to develop strategies of resistance.” \u2014Alan Jacobs, Books & Culture<\/em><\/p>\n

“Carr digs past the surface level of most contemporary discussions of technology, exposing the subtle yet far-reaching ways that technology shapes who we are and what we do.” \u2014Evan Selinger and Jathan Sadowski, The New Atlantis<\/em><\/p>\n

“On one level,\u00a0The Glass Cage\u00a0<\/em>is a simple argument about technical skills: if we don\u2019t use them, we lose them. But it\u2019s also, in a deeper and broader way, a cultural manifesto.” \u2014Clive Thompson, Los Angeles Review of Books<\/em><\/p>\n

“The Glass Cage<\/em>\u00a0should be read as a work of iconoclasm, shattering our illusions of automation as a liberating necessity. More fundamentally still, Carr is calling us to defend what is most basic to our humanity. \u201cOur highest obligation,\u201d he writes in his last and finest chapter, \u201cis to resist any force, whether institutional or commercial or technological, that would enfeeble or enervate the soul.\u201d May we not be too dazzled by our gadgets to heed the insights found in this lucid book.” \u2014Eric Anglada, Geez<\/em><\/p>\n

“A\u00a0thought-provoking and accessible look at the costs \u2014 economic, cognitive, and moral \u2014 of our society’s increasing reliance on automation.” \u2014Kevin Roose, New York<\/em><\/p>\n

“Beginning with the glass cage of the title, which refers to the virtualised environments of contemporary jet airliners, Carr proceeds to prise us psychically apart from the steely embrace of automation. He convincingly demonstrates that, far from being mere labour-saving devices, computer-coordinated automatic systems can in fact present a vital risk.” \u2014Will Self, The Spectator<\/em><\/p>\n

“<\/em>A\u00a0worthy antidote to the relentlessly hopeful futurism of Google, TED Talks and Walt Disney.” \u2014James Janega, Chicago Tribune<\/em><\/p>\n

“The Glass Cage<\/em> is an elegant and elegiac book that raises doubts about the worth of automation in a variety of settings, from driving to farming to flying. Is Carr correct that automation costs us not only our jobs, but often our souls as well? He probably is.” \u2014Thomas Davenport, CIO Journal<\/em><\/p>\n

“If you always wanted your own Rosie the Robot, or if you\u2019ve unsuccessfully tried to give up your smart phone for a day, this book will give you plenty to ponder \u2013 or to fear. Start The Glass Cage<\/em>, and you won\u2019t be able to put it down.” \u2014Terri Schlichenmeyer,\u00a0Nashville Ledger<\/em><\/p>\n

“[A]\u00a0deeply informed reflection on computer automation.” \u2014G. Pascal Zachary, San Francisco Chronicle<\/em><\/p>\n

“Important [and] well-argued.” \u2014Kirkus<\/em><\/p>\n

Publishers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

US and Canada: W. W. Norton<\/a>
\nUK and Australia: The Bodley Head<\/a>
\nGermany: Hanser Verlag
\n<\/a>Netherlands: Maven<\/a>
\nSpain: Taurus<\/a>
\nItaly: Cortina
\nKorea: Korea Economic Daily Media Group
\n<\/a>Japan: Seido Sha
\nChina: CITIC
\nRussia: Atticus
\nRomania: Publica
\nVietnam: Tre
\nCzech Republic: Emitos
\nSerbia: Heliks
\nTaiwan: Flaneur Culture Lab<\/p>\n

Audio: Brilliance<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“[A] chastening meditation on the human future.”\u00a0\u2014New York Review of Books “Essential.” \u2014New York Times Book Review “Not only persuasive but undoubtedly right.”\u00a0\u2014Wall Street Journal “A cultural manifesto.” \u2014Los Angeles Review of Books In The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us, his widely praised\u00a0follow-up to the\u00a0Pulitzer Prize-nominated The Shallows, bestselling author Nicholas Carr […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-18","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P4iw66-i","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":656,"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18\/revisions\/656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nicholascarr.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}