Beyond Humanity?: The Ethics of Biomedical Enhancement

  • Allen Buchanan
Oxford University Press 256 pp. $25 (2011)

Since humans developed tools, we have sought to improve our performance through technology. Enhancements using biotechnologies should be seen in the same evolutionary context, argues philosopher Allen Buchanan. Increasing our memory, cognitive power, stamina or resistance to disease using drugs and genetic editing offers sufficient benefits to our species that we should set aside objections. He urges that evolutionary biology should be included in ethical debates about biotechnology and enhancement.

Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other

  • Sherry Turkle
Basic Books 384 pp. $28.95 (2011)

The illusion of companionship fostered by technology is the focus of sociologist Sherry Turkle's latest book. From Facebook to robots, she examines how social networks give us 'friends' without the demands of intimacy, and how virtual environments allow us to overcome risk without consequences. Despite taking increasing hold of our lives, she argues, computers and robots will ultimately result in isolation, reduced privacy and diminished social skills. Yet she hopes that, by asking new questions, the young will overcome these downsides.

Virtually You: The Dangerous Powers of the E-Personality

  • Elias Aboujaoude
W. W. Norton 349 pp. $26.95 (2011)

Just as the persona we present to our work colleagues and our family differs, psychiatrist Elias Aboujaoude argues that we show a separate character online. From studying patients who have become mentally disturbed through excessive Internet use, he examines the construction of this e-personality, which reveals itself in the style of our e-mails, the users we associate with in our social networks and our online shopping habits. The impatient, urgent and unfocused nature of Internet usage also seeps into our offline world, he argues.

World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet

  • Michael Chorost
Free Press 256 pp. $26 (2011)

Having relied since 2001 on bionic ear implants for his hearing, science writer Michael Chorost offers a personal account of the borderline between humans and machines. After exploring the technologies that might be used to fix or enhance our bodies, with a focus on brain implants, he argues that such technologies need not depersonalize us. As well as overcoming physical problems, embedded brain chips might one day transform human communication by literally plugging us into the World Wide Web.

Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground

  • Kevin Poulsen
Crown 288 pp. $25 (2011)

Hacker-turned-journalist Kevin Poulsen investigates cybercrime in his latest book. He spotlights a notorious figure who took over a giant online criminal network and siphoned off millions of dollars from the US economy. Sought by the FBI worldwide, the hacker turned out to be security consultant Max Butler. Poulsen portrays both sides of the story and exposes the range of ongoing frauds, from phishing to Trojan viruses to counterfeiting.