The Difference Engine

Main Ideas

• An alternate history where Charles Babbage completes the Analytical Engine, leading to a technological revolution in Victorian England.
• Exploration of the impact of technology on society and politics, including automation and information technology.
• The theme of social inequality and class differences in the context of technological progress.
• Issues of privacy and information control in a world where data becomes a key resource.
• The idea of how technology can alter the course of history and influence the development of civilization.