Analyzing the terminal narcissism of our present, and contrasting it with the conviviality of our past (and possible future), Gasda navigates beyond the binary of blind techno-optimism and the equally naïve “return to tradition,” a dichotomy that’s plagued and stalled our discourse. Instead, he charts a course he refers to as futurepast: a way forward that comes in the wake of our unique intellectual tradition (from Emerson through William James, Illich, and Lasch) which encourages civic engagement in local communities, and harnesses the wild technologies of the present in ways that deepen individual dignity, rather than have it flattened by the scroll. Through historical and literary readings, interwoven with personal narrative, Matthew explores how we can use tools without being used by them.