The latest episode in the first season of Why Not Change the World? The RPI Podcast features a bestselling author and an educator exploring the effects of technology on humanity and how to think about these changes.

Peter Nowak, the bestselling author of Humans 3.0: The Upgrading of the Species, offered a cautiously optimistic view of the future. “We are generally upgrading as a species,” he said. “When you look at the data, I think that’s the direction that it is indeed pointing in, despite how it may seem.”

Susan Smith, a lecturer in the cognitive science department at Rensselaer, emphasized the important role current and future Rensselaer students will play in ensuring that technology is put to its best use. “We need to push past our comfort zones,” she said, “and hopefully our younger generation is willing to do that for us.”

Humans 3.0 is the 2019-2020 selection for the Rensselaer “Community Read,” which provides a common intellectual experience for all incoming students.

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