Wireheads
An Unnatural History of Technology in the Brain
$38.55
- Hardcover
288 pages
- Release Date
3 November 2026
Summary
The story of the mavericks and scientists, crackpots and artistic visionaries who imagined a future where machines fuse with our minds
As humanity and technology become ever more tightly interwoven, Wireheads explores the final and most intimate frontier: the brain, and the electronic devices, magnetic signals, implants, and computer interfaces that promise to merge it with the world of the machine. Will these technologies eventually direct our thoughts and b…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780300278880 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0300278888 |
| Author: | Mike Jay |
| Publisher: | Yale University Press |
| Imprint: | Yale University Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 288 |
| Release Date: | 3 November 2026 |
| Dimensions: | 152mm x 235mm |
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Critics Review
“Full of tales of madness, delusion and inspiration, Wireheads is the definitive account of humanity’s ambitious but misguided attempts to connect mind and machine. Thoroughly researched, entertaining and eye-opening.”—John Higgs, author of William Blake vs the World
“A tour of the potential hells and heavens mapped out by neuroscientists, hucksters and cyberneticians over the last 250 years. Brilliant, necessary and immensely readable.”—Rhodri Hayward, author of Resisting History
“An elegant and fascinating history of attempts to influence thought and behaviour by means of direct mechanical interface with the human brain. This is an impressive addition to Mike Jay’s celebrated work.”—Cathy Gere, author of Pain, Pleasure, and the Greater Good
“If you’re interested in the nexus of science, technology, psychoanalysis, the military industrial complex, New Age cosmology, and Weird Guys, this is the book for you … A totally fascinating tour of the (often brilliant, sometimes cruel, always strange) characters who pursued brain-machine interfaces, and the experimentation, ritual, espionage, fraud, and abuse they perpetrated to free, or control, the human mind.”—Max Read, editor of Read Max
Mike Jay
Mike Jay is a celebrated historian of science, medicine, and culture. He is the author of acclaimed books including Free Radicals, Mescaline, and Psychonauts, described by Michael Pollan as “easily the most interesting work of psychedelic history I’ve read in years.”
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