Branscomb's principal theme is that the benefits of science do not flow freely out of the laboratory; rather, superior advances come into our lives because people - in industry, universities, and government - anticipate the future and cooperate to achieve desirable ends. "Technology," says Branscomb, "is an expression of the values of the society that creates and uses it.".

Branscomb takes us on a tour of emerging information technologies - computer software, electronic libraries, video disks, and the information "superhighway" - always exploring the way people are affected. He asks, "How can a democratic society bring the culture and values of science to the wise management of the technologies that shape our lives?".

This is a searching odyssey by one of the nation's most astute navigators along the paths taken by science and technology since the Second World War. Share his vision of how we can use both science and politics to improve the prospects for humankind.