Real Space : The fate of physical presence in the digital age, on and off planet

In an inquiry that ranges from robots to religion, Paul Levinson asks why there is a deep-seated human desire to know what's "out there". Full of examples, "Realspace" asks some searching questions about space and the way we think about it.

Is planet earth the end of the line, or is space itself the next stop?
Cyberspace. It''s incredible, taking us to any part of the planet we want to visit. But as Paul Levinson shows in his brilliant new book, when it comes to transport, we''re still stuck in the past, preferring to take our bodies with us. Whether it''s trains, yachts, scooters or pogo-sticks, we''re compelled to keep moving, our movements curtailed only by the earth itself. In our imaginations however, we soar way past the limits of current technology.

With a lucid but reflective style that takes in everything from robots and science fiction to religion and philosophy, Paul Levinson asks why there is a deep seated human desire to know what''s ''out there''. Why, after getting a man on the moon, did the US space program develop so slowly? In a world where space is constantly repackaged, how do we know what real space is? Is our desire to get into space natural, or a religious craving, and is it a modern phenomenon, or did our ancestors also dream of escaping the clutches of Mother Earth?

Jam-packed with exciting, innovative, even revolutionary thinking about our future, Realspace is essential reading for everyone who has ever sat at their desk, gazed into the distance and imagined boarding a space shuttle...