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Prophecy

Prediction, Power, and the Fight for the Future, from Ancient Oracles to AI

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Prophecy

By: Carissa Véliz
Narrated by: Robertson Dean
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Today's computer scientists play the same role as the oracles of the ancient world and the astrologers of the Middle Ages. Modern predictions not only advise on war, crop output, and marriages, but algorithms and statisticians also now determine whether we can get a loan, a job, an apartment, or an organ transplant. And when we cede ground to these predictions, we lose control of our own lives.

In this powerful, refreshing new look at the many ways prediction shapes our everyday lives, University of Oxford professor Carissa Véliz explains how putting too much stock in others' predictions makes us vulnerable to charlatans, con artists, dubious technology, and self-deception. Examining a wide range of subjects both personal and societal, including medicine, climate, technology, society, and others, Véliz uncovers a number of insights: predictions about humans tend to be self-fulfilling; more data doesn't guarantee better outcomes; AI is more likely to increase risk than decrease it; and a free and robust society requires not more prediction, but better preparation.

Véliz argues in this incisive and bracingly original book that the main promise of prediction is not knowledge of the future, but rather power over others. Prophecy is an invitation to defy those orders and live life on our own terms.©2026 Carissa Véliz (P)2026 Penguin Random House Audio Philosophy Society Inspiring Technology
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Once you start thinking about predictions through the lens of power, they become salient to you in a way that they weren’t before. The world changes! The book is full of interesting stories, historical examples, fun facts, and jokes. A very rich, surprising, entertaining read. And the voice of the narrator is a delight to listen to.

You’ll never see the world the same way again

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A book about AI and power that left me feeling quite hopeful. Well worth a considered read.

Excellent take on AI

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A brilliant recommendation by my Philosophy & Ethics lecturer at Uni of Birmingham. An interesting counter to William Macaskill who I equally enjoyed reading.

Interesting counter to the equally interesting Mackaskill

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If you have rising concerns about the current direction of AI development, this book is for you. More importantly, If you consider democracy worth fighting for, this book is for you. Whilst a vast percentage of the global population are passively accepting tech billionaire narratives around AI and data management, our liberties are being rapidly eroded. This book brilliantly outlines why, how and who is responsible. The detail and extraordinary insights into how history repeats itself with control being inappropriately welded by a powerful, greedy few across the ages, now looks to be on steriods with the advancement of AI and our blythe blundering into acquiesence. This book is both an eloquent and alarming account of how Governments have flipped to being agents of tech companies and how important it is for us to wake up and challenge whether this is really the best direction of travel for humanity. This book beautifully outlines how ethics and democracy (government, justice, power, ecology and economics) are all at stake if we dont step back and scrutinise the journey so far.

An arrestingly brilliant and urgent book. A must read.

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the ancient world devoid of any thick concept of contingency and altogether wedded to fate? Really? Our perception as a 'controlled hallucination" where the control is reality? Any cognitivist had a less naive view of how we construct reality. The history section prior to mathematization is very poor. But the book improves tremendously from 'suspect' onwards.

before 18thC very poor, excellent after that

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