The long transfer of human power

by Jean Schroyen

There was a time when human beings still held the world in their own hands. They hunted, they gathered, they decided. Then they began to let go.

First to leaders. Then to writing, money, states and empires. Later to machines, networks and algorithms. Each transfer brought security, scale and speed. Each transfer also moved judgment a little further from the individual.

This book follows that long handover — from the first farms to artificial intelligence — and asks the question that remains after every leap forward: what do we still refuse to give away?

Who Holds the Reins? is a concise work of historical and philosophical reflection. It is not a technical manual and not a manifesto. It is an invitation to look at power, technology and responsibility with open eyes.