Technology can seem like an implacable force that gathers power as it advances and abruptly transforms society. But Nye, a scholar who carefully studies the symbiotic relationship between humankind and its tools, observes that creating tools and technologies has always been intrinsic to being human, and that while it seems as though we're being controlled by technology, we are in fact making choices about which technologies we embrace and how we use them. In an accessible narrative spiked with clarion examples and nimble interpretations, Nye poses a series of leading questions that guide readers to a more accurate perception of the unintended, unpredictable, and serendipitous evolution and impact of technology. How does technology influence how we interact with nature, how we care for ourselves, and how we learn and work? Are our technologies improving our lives or limiting our horizons and endangering our very existence? The issues pertaining to the role of technology on earth are complex and ever more urgent, and Nye provides an invaluably methodical and provocative primer.