Name: Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI
Start: 2025-01-26T10:00:00-08:00
End: 2025-01-26T12:00:00-08:00

**Amazon description:**

"For the last 100,000 years, we Sapiens have accumulated enormous power. But despite allour discoveries, inventions, and conquests, we now find ourselves in an existential crisis. The world is on the verge of ecological collapse. Misinformation abounds. And we are rushing headlong into the age of AI—a new information network that threatens to annihilate us. For all that we have accomplished, why are we so self-destructive?

Nexus looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us, and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age, through the canonization of the Bible, early modern witch-hunts, Stalinism, Nazism, and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems throughout history have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.

Information is not the raw material of truth; neither is it a mere weapon. Nexus explores the hopeful middle ground between these extremes, and in doing so, rediscovers our shared humanity."

**What to expect:**
Please read the book if you plan to join the Meetup. We use a set of open questions to guide the discussion and encourage everyone to participate in the conversation.

**Group Rules:**

1. Our Meetups are open to everyone who is a member and held at public venues; usually coffee shops or cafes.
2. Please consider supporting the local businesses where we meet by buying drinks or food.
3. Please read the book prior to attending. That said, It’s ok to join if you were able to read at least part of the book.
4. We strive to create a nice, safe and respectful environment. Everyone is given a chance to talk. Nobody should monopolize the discussion. Members showing disruptive, rude, angry or inappropriate behavior are removed from the group.
5. We keep track of “no-shows” - instances where members RSVP but do not show-up to an event, and also "Last-Minute Cancellations": when members cancel less than 48 hours from the event. Members with multiple "no-shows" or "Last-Minute Cancellations" are removed from the group. Please change your RSVP as soon as you know you can't attend.
6. Members with prior no-shows or "Last-Minute Cancellations" (less than 48 hours) lose their right to hold a spot in a Meetup and may be moved to the wait list for future Meetups. We prioritize members who have consistently attended our events and we also want to make room for new members. By doing this, we hope to ensure that all of our Meetups have a strong turnout and are enjoyable for everyone who participates.

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Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

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Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI

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