Revolutionary breakthroughs in technology, the rise of neoliberalism, and the dazzling progress of medicine have shaped our world like never before. From astonishing advancements to hidden pitfalls, this thrilling exploration delves into the captivating narrative of progress and its unintended consequences. But David Healy argues that amidst the allure, we must confront the ethical dilemmas and societal implications of unchecked advancements, urging us to tread cautiously.

Since the Second World War, we have seen a creation of previously unimaginable armaments, developments in computing and the internet, along with medical advances, including era defining pharmaceuticals. We now face an emergence of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), which may be the most extraordinary of all, not least in the health domain.

We view these as technologies. Techne originally referred to the principles involved in making something or obtaining an objective, instantiated in machines or code. Techne is also the origin for techniques whose impact on us has been just as profound as that of technologies.