Preface |
13 |
|
|
THE NATURE OF METAMAN |
17 |
|
1. Planetary Superorganism |
GLIMPSES OF A PROMISING FUTURE |
19 |
Organisms and Superorganisms |
23 |
Crossing the Threshold |
26 |
Society Transformed |
29 |
Our Passage to a New Era |
32 |
|
2. The Birth of Metaman |
EXTENDING LIFE S PATTERNS |
37 |
Of Living Things and Human Intuition |
43 |
The Fundamentals of Life |
45 |
An Evolving Metaman |
52 |
|
3. A Fusion of Technology and Biology |
THE NONHUMAN CONSTITUENTS OF METAMAN |
53 |
Toward Machine Intelligence |
55 |
In Biology's Footsteps |
60 |
The Living Parts |
65 |
|
4. Inner Workings Explored |
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE SUPERORGANISM |
68 |
Essential Systems of the Metabody |
69 |
Commerce and the Regulation of Metabolism |
73 |
An Inexorable March |
78 |
|
5. The Mind of Metaman |
AN EVOLVING GLOBAL BRAIN |
80 |
Sensing and Interpreting |
81 |
From Human Brain to Global Mind |
84 |
Responding |
89 |
|
|
METAMAN TODAY |
93 |
|
6. The Foundation for Our Future |
ACCELERATING TOWARD GLOBAL UNION |
95 |
Tribal States and Global Government |
95 |
Toward Global Culture |
99 |
The Dynamic of Metaman |
106 |
Change Is the Only Constant |
110 |
|
7. Rites of Passage |
PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL CONCERNS |
112 |
The Fading Threat of Nuclear War |
114 |
Population Growth--The Challenge of Our Era |
116 |
Global Warming--Larger Perspectives |
121 |
Dawn of the Solar Age |
128 |
Living with Security |
132 |
|
8. Man and Metaman |
THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE SUPERORGANISM |
135 |
A Place for Individual Action |
137 |
At the Periphery |
142 |
|
|
THE FUTURE |
147 |
|
9. Beyond Homo sapiens |
INTIMATIONS OF HUMANITY'S FUTURE |
149 |
Human-Machine Hybrids |
152 |
Biological Design Comes of Age |
159 |
Rewriting the Code |
163 |
|
10. Environmental Transformations |
THE CHANGING NATURE OF NATURE |
172 |
Our Planet's Unceasing Change |
174 |
The Natural Environment in thevAge of Metaman |
182 |
|
l 1. The Trajectory of Social Change |
A STORY OF RISING EXPECTATIONS |
The Impacts of Technology |
199 |
An End to Self-reliance |
207 |
|
12. Power and Choice |
CHALLENGES TO HUMAN VALUES |
211 |
The Dilemmas of Power |
213 |
Aging and Death |
218 |
|
|
A NEW VISION |
223 |
|
13. Darwin Extended |
THE EVOLUTION OF EVOLUTION |
225 |
The Changing Face of Evolution |
226 |
The Tree of Life |
231 |
|
14. A New Mythology |
METAMAN AND OUR QUEST FOR MEANING |
237 |
|
|
Glossary |
247 |
Notes |
251 |
Index |
350 |