GiantPanda
4/22/2016
Again, a still readable book that is not about violence. What would happen to mankind if everybody's intelligence were suddenly drastically raised? Animals gain the ability to plan, to understand language, to communicate with humans. Mentally disabled people gain average ability and above. Previously average peopla become geniuses.
How would civilization deal with this, what would we gain, what would be lost?
Anderson creates quite a plausible scenario and does include some obvious questions: How would we feed ourselves if animals resist slaughter and menial workers demand more challenging work? Would governments stand or fall? What if people could understand religion, philosophy, psychology at a far deeper level?
The situation would have deserved to be covered in greater detail, but we get a lot to think about; and it holds up well into the 21st century.
Recommended.