02801cam a2200457 i 4500 23047364 BJBSDDR 20250508115258.0 a|||||r|||| 00| 0 ta 230403s2023 nyu rb 001 0 eng 2022061864 9781541703155 (hardcover) 1541703154 (hardcover) 9781541703179 (ebook) DLC eng rda DLC DLC eng pcc n-us--- HM 821 T173e 2023 306.30973 Taplin, Jonathan, 1947- 41949 The end of reality : how four billionaires are selling a fantasy future of the metaverse, mars, and crypto / Jonathan Taplin. First edition. New York : PublicAffairs, 2023. 322 pages ; 24 cm text txt rdacontent unmediated n rdamedia volume nc rdacarrier Includes bibliographical references (pages 283-302) and index. "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. Equality United States. Igualdad Estados Unidos 269 Economics United States. Economía Estados Unidos 758 Metaverse United States. Metaverso Estados Unidos 38208 7 cbc orignew 1 ecip 20 y-gencatlg lcc BK 123384 123384 0 0 lcc 0 0 CS BJB BJB CS 2025-05-07 0 HM 821 T173e 2023 00000193130 2025-05-07 00:00:00 1 BK