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The end of reality : how four billionaires are selling a fantasy future of the metaverse, Mars, and crypto / Jonathan Taplin.

by Taplin, Jonathan, 1947- author.

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New York, NY : PublicAffairs, 2023.

Equality -- United States.

Economics -- United States.

Metaverse -- United States.

9781541703155 (hardcover) :

322 pages : 25 cm.

Introduction -- The past. Technocracy's libertarian roots ; The rise of the technocrats -- The present. Technology and inequality ; Fantasy culture ; People of the lie -- The future. Welcome to the metaverse ; The crypto con ; Going to Mars ; Transhumanism ; Creating an age of realism -- Conclusion.

"At a time when the crises of income inequality, climate, and democracy, are compounding to create epic wealth disparity and the prospect of a second American civil war, four billionaires are hyping schemes that are designed to divert our attention away from issues that really matter. Each scheme--the metaverse, cryptocurrency, space travel, and transhumanism--is an existential threat in moral, political, and economic terms. In The End of Reality, Jonathan Taplin provides perceptive insight into the personal backgrounds and cultural power of these billionaires--Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Marc Andreesen ("The Four")--and shows how their tech monopolies have brought middle-class wage stagnation, the hollowing out of many American towns, a radical increase in income inequality, and unbounded public acrimony. Meanwhile, the enormous amount of taxpayer money to be funneled into the dystopian ventures of "The Four", the benefits of which will accrue to billionaires, exacerbate these disturbing trends. The End of Reality is both scathing critique and reform agenda that replaces the warped worldview of The Four with a vision of regenerative economics that seeks to build a sustainable society with healthy growth and full employment"--Provided by publisher.

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