000			02810cam a2200385 i 4500
001			on1355615307
003			OCoLC
005			20230927145233.0
008			230403s2023 nyu b 001 0 eng
010			_a 2022061864
040			_aDLC _beng _erda _cDLC _dOCLCF _dTOH _dILC _dVP@ _dGK8 _dUBY _dNFG
019			_a1395578189
020			_a9781541703155 _q(hardcover)
020			_a1541703154
035			_a(OCoLC)1355615307 _z(OCoLC)1395578189
042			_apcc
043			_an-us---
092			_a306.3097 _bT173
049			_aNFGA
100	1		_aTaplin, Jonathan, _d1947- _eauthor.
245	1	4	_aThe end of reality : _bhow four billionaires are selling a fantasy future of the metaverse, Mars, and crypto / _cJonathan Taplin.
250			_aFirst edition.
264		1	_aNew York, NY : _bPublicAffairs, _c2023.
300			_a322 pages : _c25 cm.
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_aunmediated _bn _2rdamedia
338			_avolume _bnc _2rdacarrier
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
505	0		_aIntroduction -- The past. Technocracy's libertarian roots ; The rise of the technocrats -- The present. Technology and inequality ; Fantasy culture ; People of the lie -- The future. Welcome to the metaverse ; The crypto con ; Going to Mars ; Transhumanism ; Creating an age of realism -- Conclusion.
520			_a"At a time when the crises of income inequality, climate, and democracy, are compounding to create epic wealth disparity and the prospect of a second American civil war, four billionaires are hyping schemes that are designed to divert our attention away from issues that really matter. Each scheme--the metaverse, cryptocurrency, space travel, and transhumanism--is an existential threat in moral, political, and economic terms. In The End of Reality, Jonathan Taplin provides perceptive insight into the personal backgrounds and cultural power of these billionaires--Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Marc Andreesen ("The Four")--and shows how their tech monopolies have brought middle-class wage stagnation, the hollowing out of many American towns, a radical increase in income inequality, and unbounded public acrimony. Meanwhile, the enormous amount of taxpayer money to be funneled into the dystopian ventures of "The Four", the benefits of which will accrue to billionaires, exacerbate these disturbing trends. The End of Reality is both scathing critique and reform agenda that replaces the warped worldview of The Four with a vision of regenerative economics that seeks to build a sustainable society with healthy growth and full employment"-- _cProvided by publisher.
650		0	_aEquality _zUnited States. _9105005
650		0	_aEconomics _zUnited States. _9213910
650		0	_aMetaverse _zUnited States.
994			_aC0 _bNFG
999			_c371972 _d371972