Book description
“This gonzo-journalistic exploration of the Silicon Valley techno-utopians’ pursuit of escaping mortality is a breezy romp full of colorful characters.” —New York Times Book Review
Transhumanism is a movement pushing the limits of our biology—of our senses, intelligence, and lifespans—with technology. Its supporters have reached a critical mass and now…
Why read it?
2 authors picked To Be a Machine as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
This book is a really fun investigation by a brilliant journalist who leads readers through a thorough yet skeptical look at the Silicon Valley-based movement known as “radical life extension” or “transhumanism.”
From hobbyists, to hackers, to scientists, to venture capitalists, a broad contingent of people in and around the “tech” space are convinced today that techno-scientific advancement will eventually allow humanity—or at least a certain small cadre of the wealthiest and savviest humans—to live forever.
There are heavy ideas here, and the book will give you a lot to think about, but it manages to be a breezy read…
From Timothy's list on changing your thinking about death and dying.
Mark O’Connell’s witty, weird, and worrying book explores the fringe scientific movement known as transhumanism. This disparate group of philosophers, engineers, rogue scientists, and hackers want to augment or merge the human body with technology, largely in order to advance their intellect and escape ageing and death.
While meeting a variety of transhumanists, O’Connell discusses the possible ways that technology could transform us as a species. From freezing ourselves to be re-awoken in the far distant future, to uploading our minds to a computer, there are all sorts of ambitious ideas out there to escape the limitations of nature.
But…
From Tom's list on science about way more than science.
If you love To Be a Machine...
These Blue Mountains
A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.
German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…
Want books like To Be a Machine?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 65 books like To Be a Machine.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,340
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like To Be a Machine, you might also like...
Foxfire in the Snow
It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.
Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin can’t quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with the…
The Main Gate
Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the past—until the past refuses to stay buried.
Hired to join Earth’s first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her be…
