How Play Made the Modern World

Steven Johnson is a leading light in today’s interdisciplinary, collaborative, open-minded approach to innovation and his writing has influenced everything from cutting-edge ideas in urban planning to the fight against terrorism. He now looks how our pursuit of wonder has become a powerful driver of world-shaping technological change, arguing that the future is found wherever people are having the most fun.

In his history of play, Steven offers a surprising examination of popular entertainment. Roving from medieval kitchens and ancient taverns to casinos and shopping malls, he locates the cutting edge of innovation wherever people are working hardest to keep themselves and others amused. He introduces us to the colourful innovators of leisure: the explorers, proprietors, show people, and artists who changed the trajectory of history with their luxurious wares, exotic meals, taverns, gambling tables, and magic shows. These wonderlands of amusement did more than just entertain their patrons, Johnson argues. They also directly contributed to economic and social revolutions that transformed the modern world.

Speaker Biography:

Steven Johnson is the internationally bestselling author of ten books, including How We Got to Now, Where Good Ideas Come From, The Invention of Air, The Ghost Map and Everything Bad is Good for You. His latest book is Wonderland: How Play made the Modern World. He is the founder of a variety of influential websites, including outside.in and howwegettonext.com – and writes for Time, Wired, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He is the host and co-creator of the PBS and BBC series How We Got to Now.

Image credit: Nutopia Ltd

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