Synopses & Reviews
Radio reporter Herbert Morrisonand#8217;s words on witnessing the destruction of the Hindenburg (and#8220;Oh, the humanity!and#8221;) are etched in our collective memory. Yet while we use the Hindenburgand#8212;like the Titanicand#8212;as shorthand for the technological hubris of a bygone era, we seem to have forgotten the lessons to be learned from the infamous 1937 zeppelin disaster. In Monsters: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Birth of Pathological Technology, Ed Regis claims that this is due to the fact that never before has there been a technological artifact so discredited as the zeppelin in the aftermath of the Hindenburg fire.
In Monsters, Regis explores the question of how a technology now so completely invalidated (and so fundamentally unsafe) ever managed to reach such a high-risk level of development as it did. How does such a collective psychology of obsession emerge? Through the narrative of the invention and development of the zeppelin and its most infamous example, Regis will examine the perils of what he calls and#8220;pathological technologies,and#8221; technologies whose substantial risks are discounted or ignored under the influence of their emotional, almost mystical appeal. Zeppelins were unsteerable balloons of highly flammable gas, but the sheer magic of seeing a behemoth aircraft float lighter-than-air cast a spell over anyone who saw them.
The Hindenburg, however, is not an isolated historical instance of pathological technologiesand#8212;Regis brings this idea to the present by discussing more recent examples, including recombinant DNA technology, genetic engineering, nuclear energy, the Apollo 11 moon landings, and DARPAand#8217;s and#8220;100-Year Starshipand#8221; program. These technologies may appear enticing, but like the Hindenburg, they could prove to be just as perilous. Monsters is thus a powerful cautionary tale for future technologies and other grandiose schemes.
Review
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR MONSTERSand#147;An engaging history of humankindand#8217;s technological hubris.and#8221; and#151;Science News
and#147;Fascinatingand#133; a fine history of Zeppelin and his disastrous airships.and#8221;
and#151;Publishers Weekly
and#147;A fine account of the rigid airship andand#133; a thoughtful meditation on out-of-control technology.and#8221;
and#151;Kirkus Reviews
and#147;Monsters is both a fascinating historical narrative and a wakeup call to the dangers of technologies that capture our collective imaginationand#151;but come with staggering risks that seem obvious only in retrospect. As we move into an era of rapid advance in fields like genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and artificial intelligence, the forgotten lessons from technology's past are sure to become ever more relevant.and#8221;
and#151;Martin Ford, author of Rise of the Robots
and#147;Ed Regis has written an important book, one that should be required reading for scientists, engineers, politicians, and policy-makers pursuing The Next Big Thing. Focusing on the alluring and tragic Hindenburg, but examining as well such costly projects as the abandoned Superconducting Supercollider, Project Plowshare (earth moving using nuclear bombs!) and proposed and#147;Space Arksand#8221; roaming the Cosmos, Regis shows how fascination with ill-considered mega-technology has generated both waste and human tragedy. This is a sobering yet fascinating picture of the human and material costs incurred when the unchecked dreams of zealots run amok.and#8221;
and#151;Richard P. Hallion, Senior Adviser for Air and Space Issues, Directorate for Security, Counterintelligence and Special Programs Oversight, The Pentagon
and#147;Monsters provides a very thoroughly researched and well-written explanation for how a nation, an industry, and wealthy passengers saw only the benefits of traveling in hydrogen-filled dirigibles and overlooked the potential hazards until the Hindenburg literally exploded on the news. Regis shows how the tunnel-vision lessons from this 1937 tragedy went unheeded in projects like using atomic bombs to excavate canals and harbors and DARPA's 100-year starship.and#8221;
and#151;David Lochbaum, Director, Nuclear Safety Project and co-author of Fukushima: The Story of a Nuclear Disaster
and#147;The inevitability of the Hindenburg or a similar disaster serves as the centerpiece in Ed Regisand#8217;s masterful and tragically humorous envisioning of our myopic infatuation with grandiose yet dangerous scientific projects. In the background lies the question of risks that may be suppressed in pursuit of large-scale contemporary technological ventures.and#8221;
and#151;Wendell Wallach, author of A Dangerous Master
Synopsis
"Oh, the humanity " Radio reporter Herbert Morrison's words on witnessing the destruction of the Hindenburg are etched in our collective memory. Yet, while the Hindenburg--like the Titanic--is a symbol of the technological hubris of a bygone era, we seem to have forgotten the lessons that can be learned from the infamous 1937 zeppelin disaster.
Zeppelins were steerable balloons of highly flammable, explosive gas, but the sheer magic of seeing one of these behemoths afloat in the sky cast an irresistible spell over all those who saw them. In Monsters, Ed Regis explores the question of how a technology now so completely invalidated (and so fundamentally unsafe) ever managed to reach the high-risk level of development that it did. Through the story of the zeppelin's development, Regis examines the perils of what he calls "pathological technologies"--inventions whose sizeable risks are routinely minimized as a result of their almost mystical allure.
Such foolishness is not limited to the industrial age: newer examples of pathological technologies include the US government's planned use of hydrogen bombs for large-scale geoengineering projects; the phenomenally risky, expensive, and ultimately abandoned Superconducting Super Collider; and the exotic interstellar propulsion systems proposed for DARPA's present-day 100 Year Starship project. In case after case, the romantic appeal of foolishly ambitious technologies has blinded us to their shortcomings, dangers, and costs.
Both a history of technological folly and a powerful cautionary tale for future technologies and other grandiose schemes, Monsters is essential reading for experts and citizens hoping to see new technologies through clear eyes.
Synopsis
and#147;Oh, the humanity!and#8221; Radio reporter Herbert Morrisonand#8217;s words on witnessing the destruction of the
Hindenburg are etched in our collective memory. Yet, while the
Hindenburgand#151;like the
Titanicand#151;is a symbol of the technological hubris of a bygone era, we seem to have forgotten the lessons that can be learned from the infamous 1937 zeppelin disaster.
Zeppelins were steerable balloons of highly flammable, explosive gas, but the sheer magic of seeing one of these behemoths afloat in the sky cast an irresistible spell over all those who saw them. In Monsters, Ed Regis explores the question of how a technology now so completely invalidated (and so fundamentally unsafe) ever managed to reach the high-risk level of development that it did. Through the story of the zeppelinand#8217;s development, Regis examines the perils of what he calls and#147;pathological technologiesand#8221;and#151;inventions whose sizeable risks are routinely minimized as a result of their almost mystical allure.
Such foolishness is not limited to the industrial age: newer examples of pathological technologies include the US governmentand#8217;s planned use of hydrogen bombs for large-scale geoengineering projects; the phenomenally risky, expensive, and ultimately abandoned Superconducting Super Collider; and the exotic interstellar propulsion systems proposed for DARPAand#8217;s present-day 100 Year Starship project. In case after case, the romantic appeal of foolishly ambitious technologies has blinded us to their shortcomings, dangers, and costs.
Both a history of technological folly and a powerful cautionary tale for future technologies and other grandiose schemes, Monsters is essential reading for experts and citizens hoping to see new technologies through clear eyes.
About the Author
Ed Regis is a longtime science writer and the author of seven books, including What is Life?, The Info Mesa, and Whoand#8217;s Got Einsteinand#8217;s Office?. Most recently he was co-author, with George Church, of Regenesis: How Synthetic Biology Will Reinvent Nature and Ourselves.
Table of Contents
The PathologyPrologue: "Up Ship!"
PART I: Beginnings
1. The Man in the Sky
2. The Philosopher's Stone of Flight
3. The Flying Bomb
4. The Delirium
5. Demystifying Gargantua
6. A Technological Anomaly
7. Death Rattle of a Leviathan
8. From Hubris to Horror in Thirty-Four Seconds
PART II: Pathological Technology's Chamber of Horrors
9. Progress Through H-Bombs
10. The Godzilla of Physics
11. Stardate 90305.55
PART III: Endings
12. The Six Hindenburgs
13. The Pathology of Delirium
Epilogue