
The Magic of Code
Samuel Arbesman
(Author)This title will be released on
June 10, 2025
Description
In the digital world, code is the essential primary building block, the equivalent of the cell or DNA in the biological sphere--and almost as mysterious. Code can create entire worlds, real and virtual; it allows us to connect instantly to people and places around the globe; and it performs tasks that were once only possible in science fiction. It is a superpower, and not just in a technical sense. It is also a gateway to ideas. As vividly illustrated by Samuel Arbesman, it is the ultimate connector, providing new insight and meaning into how everything from language and mythology to biblical texts, biology, and even our patterns of thought connect with the history and nature of computing.
While the building block of code can be used for many wondrous things it can also create deeper wedges in our society and be weaponized to cause damage to our planet or our civilization. Code and computing are too important to be left to the tech community; it is essential that each of us engage with it. And we fail to understand it to our detriment.
By providing us with a framework to think about coding and its effects upon the world and placing the past, current, and future developments in computing into its broader setting we see how software and computers can work for people as opposed to against our needs. With this deeper understanding into the "why" of coding we can be masters of technology rather than its subjects.
Product Details
Publisher | PublicAffairs |
Publish Date | June 10, 2025 |
Pages | 320 |
Language | English |
Type | |
EAN/UPC | 9781541704480 |
Dimensions | 9.5 X 6.3 X 1.1 inches | 0.0 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
"Expansive and absorbing, The Magic of Code reveals code as a universal force--swirling through disciplines, absorbing ideas, and connecting worlds. Samuel Arbesman helps us see that computation is far bigger and more unifying than we ever imagined."--Linda Liukas, author of Hello Ruby
"In his thoughtful and immensely creative new book, Arbesman injects a much-needed sense of wonder back into the ever-more powerful world of computers and algorithms. You'll never think about computation the same way again--and this is a good thing!"--Cal Newport, New York Times bestselling author of Slow Productivity and Deep Work
"This book is a delight. About so much more than 'just' code, this book should be required reading for how to be human--and make decisions wisely--in a future suffused with computation."--Annie Duke, author of Thinking in Bets
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