science

The Inevitable (book)

The Inevitable (book) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand The Inevitable (book) rather than just read about it. In short: The Inevitable is a 2016 nonfiction book by Kevin Kelly that forecasts the twelve technological forces that will shape the next thirty years. Summary According to Kelly, much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable.

Key takeaways

The Inevitable (book) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect The Inevitable (book) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of The Inevitable (book) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Inevitable is a 2016 nonfiction book by Kevin Kelly that forecasts the twelve technological forces that will shape the next thirty years.

Summary According to Kelly, much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable. The future will bring with it even more screens, tracking, and lack of privacy. In the book he outlines twelve trends that will forever change the ways in which we work, learn and communicate: The chapters are organized by these forces.

Becoming: Moving from fixed products to always upgrading services and subscriptions Cognifying: Making everything much smarter using cheap powerful AI that we get from the cloud Flowing: Depending on unstoppable streams in real time for everything Screening: Turning all surfaces into screens Accessing: Shifting society from one where we own assets to one where instead we will have access to services at all times Sharing: Collaboration at mass scale. Kelly writes, "On my imaginary Sharing Meter Index we are still at 2 out of 10." Filtering: Harnessing intense personalization in order to anticipate our desires Remixing: Unbundling existing products into their most primitive parts and then recombining in all possible ways Interacting: Immersing ourselves inside our computers to maximize their engagement Tracking: Employing total surveillance for the benefit of citizens and consumers Questioning: Promoting good questions is far more valuable than good answers Beginning: Constructing a planetary system connecting all humans and machines into a global matrix

Critical response Kirkus Reviews notes that "Kelly’s arguments ring true, and his enthusiasm [about the future] is contagious". Publishers Weekly also highlights that this book reflect Kelly's "optimistic and arguably idealistic view" and that he "chooses to elide discussions of the specific downsides that likely will accompany the changes he describes. Kelly's stated goal is 'to uncover the roots of digital change so that we can embrace them.' The book effectively identifies these roots, but in omitting critical discussion of them, it leaves the reader inadequately equipped to thoughtfully embrace or engage with them."

See also Out of Control What Technology Wants

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with The Inevitable (book)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what The Inevitable (book) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to The Inevitable (book) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about The Inevitable (book) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of The Inevitable (book)

In research: The Inevitable (book) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses The Inevitable (book) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: The Inevitable (book) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2016 English-language non-fiction books, 2016 non-fiction books, American non-fiction books, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for The Inevitable (book) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study The Inevitable (book) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what The Inevitable (book) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain The Inevitable (book) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is The Inevitable (book) in simple terms?

The Inevitable is a 2016 nonfiction book by Kevin Kelly that forecasts the twelve technological forces that will shape the next thirty years. Summary According to Kelly, much of what will happen in the next thirty years is inevitable.

Why does The Inevitable (book) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study The Inevitable (book)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on The Inevitable (book).