Deemed by Arthur C. Clarke to be ‘the most brilliant attempt at scientific prediction ever made’, The World, the Flesh and the Devil is most famous for having been the first to propose the so-called Bernal Sphere, a type of space habitat intended for permanent residence. Written by one of the most well-known and controversial scientists of the twentieth century, this futuristic essay explores radical changes to human bodies and intelligence, as well as suggesting their impact on society in the future. It includes far-reaching visions of the future of space research and colonisation, material sciences, genetic engineering and near-technology, as well as the idea of a universal brain of the species to be created by technological means. In Bernal’s view, it will be possible for the material conditions of civilisation to reach a state of materialist utopia on earth. For all three realms, the world, the flesh and the devil, Bernal attempted to map out the utmost limit of technoscientific progress of which he could conceive, and found that there are almost no limits.
Introduced by Mc Kenzie Wark
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John Desmond Bernal (1901-1971) was one of the United Kingdom’s best-known and most controversial scientists. He published extensively on the history of science.
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