Future Imperfect

'Professor Friedman has written a valuable book that explores some of the most interesting issues connecting technology and society in the years and decades to come. His explanations of the technologies are accessible to ordinary readers, and he tees up the societal issues in a lively way. While not everyone will agree on the magnitude of the threats, his treatment of the subjects will make everyone think, from the most expert Internet lawyer to the most enthusiastic geek - indeed anyone who cares about his or her future in a democratic society.' Henry H. Perritt, Jr, Chicago-Kent College of Law

'David Friedman turns his formidable analytical abilities on a number of futures. They won't all happen - but at least one of them almost certainly will. Friedman applies law to economics and economics to the law, to the benefit of our understanding of both. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the future - or any one of several futures. It doesn't hurt that it's a good read, either.' Jerry Pournelle, best selling science and science fiction writer, high tech columnist

' ... Friedman rightly emphasizes that future developments are contingent and their ramifications uncertain...Recommended ...' D. Bantz, Choice Magazine

' ... 22 very interesting chapters on various futures ... Friedman explains, clarifies, enlightens, and entertains ... This is a delightful book, written by a creative mind ...' Ross Levatter, Liberty

' ... Friedman gleefully sorts out a host of messes having to do with a wide range of world-changing technologies ... the death of copyright protection; nanotechnology; cloning, genetic engineering, and other advanced reproductive therapies; cognitive enhancement through pharmacology; the growing difficulty (due in part to tools that allow users to veil their identities) of enforcing contracts in cyberspace. Friedman is honest enough not to claim to be a seer - the future is both imperfect and uncertain. But he frames the possibilities even-handedly, with energetic comprehensiveness.' Lew McCreary, Harvard Business Review

'What a delightful and absorbing book! Friedman looks to the future with a science fiction writers sense of the possible combined with a social scientists understanding of what it all might mean.' N. Gregory Mankiw, Harvard University

'David Friedman turns his formidable analytical abilities on a number of futures. They won't all happen - but at least one of them almost certainly will. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the future - or any one of several futures. It doesn't hurt that it's a good read, either.' Jerry Pournelle, best selling science and science fiction writer, high tech columnist

'Provocative would be another term for 'Future Imperfect', in which Friedman lays out a tantalizing range of either/or futures - greater personal privacy and choice protected by encryption and private contracts, or a Big Brotheresque world in which surveillance techno...

David D. Friedman is Professor of Law at Santa Clara University, California. His rst book, The Machinery of Freedom: Guide to a Radical Capitalism, was published in 1973, remains in print and is considered a libertarian classic. His scientific interest in the future is also long-standing. Professor Friedman's web page, www.davidfriedman.com, averages more than 3,000 visitors a day and his blog, Ideas, at http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com receives about 400 daily visits.

Part I. Prolog: 1. Introduction; 2. Living with change; Part II. Privacy and Technology: 3. A world of strong privacy; 4. Information processing: threat or menace? or if information is property, who owns it?; 5. Surveillance tech: the universal panopticon; Part III. Doing Business Online: 6. Ecash; 7. Contracts in cyberspace; 8. Watermarks and barbed wire; 9. Reactionary progress - amateur scholars and open source; 10. Intermission: what's a meta phor?; Part IV. Crime and Control: 11. The future of computer crime; 12. Law enforcement x 2; Part V. Biotechnologies: 13. Human reproduction; 14. The more you know ...; 15. As gods in the garden; 16. Mind drugs; Part VI. The Real Science Fiction: 17. The last lethal disease; 18. Very small Legos; 19. Dangerous company; 20. All in your mind; 21. The final frontier; 22. Interesting times.