Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century ~ Media-EBusiness

Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century [Audiobook, Unabridged] by P. W. Singer
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.; Unabridged edition (November 1, 2010) | ISBN: 1441765921 | Language English | Audio CD in MP3 / 64Kbps | 590 MB

Brookings Institute fellow Singer (Children at War) believes that we resist trying to research and understand change in the making of war. Robotics promises to be the most comprehensive instrument of change in war since the introduction of gunpowder. Beginning with a brief and useful survey of robotics, Singer discusses its military applications during WWII, the arming and autonomy of robots at the turn of the century, and the broad influence of robotics on near-future battlefields. How, for example, can rules of engagement for unmanned autonomous machines be created and enforced? Can an artificial intelligence commit a war crime? Arguably more significant is Singers provocative case that war itself will be redefined as technology creates increasing physical and emotional distance from combat. As robotics diminishes wars risks the technology diminishes as well the higher purposes traditionally used to justify it. Might that reduce humanitys propensity for war making? Or will robotics make war less humane by making it less human? Singer has more questions than answers—but it is difficult to challenge his concluding admonition to question and study the technologies of military robotics—while the chance remains. (Jan. 26)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
P. W. Singer has written what is likely to be the definitive work on this subject for some time to come. He has a record of drawing out the underlying trends in modern warfare, with previous books on child soldiers and the increasing use of mercenaries. Wired for War will confirm his reputation: it is riveting and comprehensive, encompassing every aspect of the rise of military robotics, from the historical to the ethical. --Financial Times

If you want the whole story of remote warfare, pick up a copy of Wired for War, in which Peter Singer, a fellow of the non-profit Brookings Institution in Washington DC, exhaustively documents the Pentagon's penchant for robotics. Think of it as the next step in the mechanisation of war: swords and arrows, guns, artillery, rockets, bombers, robots. --New Scientist

Robotics promises to be the most comprehensive instrument of change in war since the introduction of gunpowder. --Publishers Weekly

Blew my f***ing mind. . . This book is awesome. --Jon Stewart, The Daily Show

Drawing from sources spanning popular culture and hard science, Singer reveals how the relationship between man and robot is changing the very nature of war. . . I found this book fascinating, deep, entertaining, and frightening. --Howard Gordon, writer and executive producer of 24, The X-Files, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

In his latest work, Wired for War, Singer confesses his passion for science fiction as he introduces us to a glimpse of things to come - the new technologies that will shape wars of the future. His new book addresses some ominous and little-discussed questions about the military, technology, and machinery. --Harper's

. . . A vivid picture of the current controversies and dazzling possibilities of war in the digital age. --Kirkus Reviews

P. W. Singer has fashioned a definitive text on the future of war around the subject of robots. In no previous book have I gotten such an intrinsic sense of what the military future will be like. --Robert D. Kaplan, author of Imperial Grunts: The American Military on the Ground

Singer's book is as important (very) as it is readable (highly), as much a fascinating account of new technology as it is a challenging appraisal of the strategic, political, and ethical questions that we must now face. This book needs to be widely read -- not just within the defense community but by anyone interested in the most fundamental questions of how our society and others will look at war itself. --Anthony Lake, former U.S. National Security Advisor and Professor of Diplomacy , School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

Lively, penetrating, and wise. . . A warmly human (even humorous) account of robotics and other military technologies that focuses where it should: on us. --Richard Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy and Director, National Semiconductor Corporation

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