Michael Chorost (Books)

Michael Chorost Books

Michael Chorost is a technology theorist with an unusual perspective: his body is the future. After losing his hearing completely, he had a computer implanted in his head to allow him to hear again. This transformative experience inspired his first book, where he explores how mastering his new ear, a cochlear implant, enabled him to enhance his creative potential as a human being. His freewheeling approach, which blurs the lines between programming, science, writing, and art as profoundly creative human endeavors, infuses his second book. In it, he proposes that humanity can incorporate the computer into its collective soul in a way that enhances communities and creative work rather than diminishing them.

World Wide Mind

The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet

256 pages
9 hours of reading

What if digital communication felt as real as being touched? This question inspired Michael Chorost to explore groundbreaking ideas stemming from global lab research, leading to a transformative exploration of human interaction. Chorost, equipped with two cochlear implants, draws from his experience to suggest a potential merger of our Paleolithic bodies and modern technology. He examines wearable computers that keep individuals online constantly and implanted chips enabling communication for paralysis victims. New neural interfaces are being developed to read and modify neural activity in unprecedented ways. Recognizing the Internet's addictive nature, Chorost delves into the biochemistry behind our compulsion to check devices. He envisions a mind-to-mind technology that could enhance our relationships and reconnect us with our bodies, paving the way for a collective consciousness—a World Wide Mind. With insight and sensitivity, he shares his journey of enhancing relationships through workshops focused on the power of touch. His narrative illustrates how we can harness technology to enrich our humanity rather than diminish it. This work offers fresh perspectives on communication, the essentials for genuine connection, and strategies to counteract our digital addictions with innovations that foster deeper understanding and intimacy.