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Uselessness (Humankind's most valuable tool?)

List Price: $24.99
SKU:
9783110679816
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  • Product Details

    Author:
    Michelle Howard, Luciano Parodi
    Format:
    Paperback
    Pages:
    152
    Publisher:
    De Gruyter (March 23, 2020)
    Language:
    English
    Audience:
    Professional and scholarly
    ISBN-13:
    9783110679816
    ISBN-10:
    3110679817
    Weight:
    16oz
    Dimensions:
    5.83" x 8.27"
    File:
    TWO RIVERS-PERSEUS-Metadata_Only_Perseus_Distribution_Customer_Group_Metadata_20260510163321-20260510.xml
    Folder:
    TWO RIVERS
    List Price:
    $24.99
    As low as:
    $21.49
    Publisher Identifier:
    P-PER
    Discount Code:
    C
    Case Pack:
    3
    Country of Origin:
    Germany
    Imprint:
    De Gruyter
    Pub Discount:
    60
  • Overview

    Is uselessness a tool? The acquisition of tools is the secret to humankind’s success and what distinguishes us from animals. However, we also use tools to tell stories and produce objects that are perplexingly useless. Uselessness rarely meets our expectations, but can also be fascinating and liberating, because it eludes the logic of the "use = value" equation.

    In the Modern Age usefulness became a priority: with reference to space, production or training. Yet futurologists today predict that one product of artificial intelligence will be a "useless" future. If the future makes us useless, it will be necessary to reconsider our attitude toward uselessness. The texts in this interdisciplinary reader illuminate the potential creativity the future can bring in light of this development.