This book provides 16 essays by faculty and staff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) concerning what MIT is like today and offering a guide to its possible future. Emphasis is placed on local, national, and global issues, providing a current sampling of the state of concerns and opinions around MIT. Topics include the question of whether technology does in fact shape the future; the relationship between technical and liberal education; the Institute's role in exploring options for such societal issues as productivity and pollution; the changing nature of the research library; the proper balance between national and international interests in education and research; and the relationship between MIT and industry. Also included are personal reflections on teaching, on women students at the Institute, on the mission of MIT, and on the possibility of transforming the Institute into a therapeutic community. Other essays discuss recent breakthroughs in linguistics, combustion technology, and the application of system dynamics to precollege education. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Does Technology Shape the Future?" (Rosalind Williams); "Equality of the Sciences at MIT" (Robert K. Weatherall); "Technology and the Liberal Arts" (Ann F. Friedlaender); "Mary, Theresa, and Elizabeth" (Cynthia Griffin Wolff); "Addictions and Recovery at MIT" (Eve Odiorne Sullivan); "A Personal View of Education" (Alan V. Oppenheim); "Leadership through Science and Technology" (Michael L. Dertouzos); "The University as Quality" (Alfred R. Doig, Jr.); "Toward International Education at MIT" (Catherine V. Chvany); "The Research Library in the Information Age" (Jay K. Lucker); "Electronic Organs of the Mind: Language and Computation for the 21st Century" (Robert C. Berwick); "System Dynamics: Adding Structure and Relevance to Precollege Education" (Jay W. Forrester); "Clean Utilization of Fossil Fuels" (Janos M. Beer); "An Environment for Entrepreneurs" (Edward B. Roberts); "MIT and Industry: The Legacy and the Future" (Thomas R. Moebus); "The Bear in the Woods" (Lester C. Thurow). Finally, the book includes, as an appendix, the 1991 inaugural address of MIT president, Charles M. Vest. References follow each essay. (GLR)