Stanisław Lem (staˈɲiswaf lɛm) was a Polish science fiction, philosophical and satirical writer of Jewish descent. Among the themes that Lem discusses in the book and that were completely in the realm of science fiction then, but are gaining importance today, are virtual reality, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence and technological singularity. Surprising as it can be, some issues discussed in the book sound more contemporary nowadays than 40 years ago. He also looks at moral-ethical and philosophical consequences of future technologies.ĭespite its age and a number of inaccuracies in specific domains (e.g., mathematics, biology, sociology), the book has lost no momentum in the past years. The primary question Lem treats in the book is that of civilization in the absence of limitations, both technological and material. Paraphrasing the author, the book tries to 'examine the thorns of roses that have not flowered yet' - in other words, to deal with problems of the remote (and in some cases, not so remote) future. The name is an allusion to Summa Theologiae by Thomas Aquinas and to Summa Theologiae by Albertus Magnus. The book exhibits depth of insight and irony usual for Lem's creations. Summa is one of the first collections of philosophical essays by Lem. Summa Technologiae (the title is in Latin, meaning 'Sum of Technology' in English) is a 1964 (1967 - second edition) book by Polish author Stanisław Lem.

Summa technologiae by Stanisław Lem