Chapter 1. Who Are the Makers?

Today we live in a world many of us define as “advanced,” filled with technological wonders like smartphones and the World Wide Web. But these gadgets are just the fruit of an entire civilization based on the application of science and technology to our daily lives. Thanks to that civilization, we can live in a warm place, store our food without it spoiling, have light even when it is dark outside, communicate with the people we love anywhere in the world, or travel faster than our legs can carry us.

At the same time, many of these changes—the same ones that have improved our way of living—have limited our lives. Most people may say they cannot live without computers, telecommunications, electricity, and synthetic ...

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