A groundbreaking revision of the Copernican Principle which is that the Earth was not the fixed point at the center of the known universe (and therefore we are not unique). Renowned astrophysicist and author Caleb Scharf argues that the principle has never been entirely true and therefore requires that we put aside our Copernican worldview and embrace the possibility that we are in a delicate balance between mediocrity and significance, order and chaos
Your information has a life of its own, using you to achieve its goals. Humans uniquely carry vast amounts of information outside their biological selves. In our rush to manage the 20 quintillion bits we create daily, we often overlook why we expend so much energy and resources to maintain this data. Drawing from evolutionary biology, computer science, information theory, and astrobiology, Caleb Scharf posits that information is, in a sense, alive. The data we generate—emails, tweets, selfies, A.I. text, and cat videos—forms an aggregate lifeform with its own needs and goals, influencing our behavior and well-being. This evolving relationship with information presents a new perspective on our world; data is not merely a byproduct of our existence but a fundamental reason for it. This idea challenges our understanding of technology, our human roles, and the essence of life itself. The text offers a humbling vision of a universe constructed from and for information, examining how our connection with data will shape our evolution as a species. Recognizing this relationship is vital for ensuring that our data serves as an asset rather than a burden, safeguarding the potential for a human future.
