What did people living a century ago have as an idea of the future?
At that time, the light bulb hadn't been invented yet, large Helium balloons ruled the skies, and telegraph lines were the only method of long distance communication.
No one back then, even the futuristic minds would never have imagined what the world would look like a century later. From computers, to supersonic jets...from the internet to heart surgery, from sending robots to Mars and mapping the human genome...
But what does the future look like to us now? Is it possible to even take a guess for a hundred years later? what about a thousand?
There are very promising short term developments in the areas of science, medicine, computing and engineering. But since the first always precedes the latter three, I will focus on science.
In the next fifty years, the world energy problem will be solved. Commercial nuclear fusion reactors and renewable energy sources would power the the world. Nanotechnology will enable us to manufacture materials with new and interesting properties, from more efficient solar cells to more efficient drug delivery systems, to supercomputers. With a sustainable electricity source, electric vehicles will replace current petroleum cars and planes and rockets will be run on electricity or directly by nuclear power. These are all very short term goals, already on the verge of coming true in the next fifty years.
But progress is simply not being made fast enough. Breakthroughs are done by science, but scientists only form a very small ratio of careers in the 21st century. With sufficient funding and human resources, the 50 year dream can be achieved in less than 10 years. This is an issue a first world country should address...
But what about second and third world countries? Full of people still stuck with the ideology of their ancestors, held back by religious and cultural obstacles? Those brainwashed against rational thinking...
The reason I'm bringing this up, is because third world countries contribute the most to the current human population...and we should look for ways to harvest the scientific minds that are not flourishing, simply because of environmental factors...
Ok, Lio out...I'll finish it later :)
Since humans wastes resources in compete between themselves،Prisoner`s Dilemma happens in the wrost way,
ReplyDeleteThe solution to avoid that is freedom and equality in all the world, wich it`s key is on the hand of who has the power now, (all those first world countries).
If we continue thsi way, humanity will not find an alternative energy source before it get late.
and by saying before getting late i mean to be able to find livable planets and travel there.
Ever asked your self why the life is so scarce in the universe?
maybe it is becouse most of them got destroyed by their self before to being able to travel intergalaxial.and go to next scale and populate the univerce.
true but that's competion is the key to progress. if humans have't had that competion desire, we won't be at this point. the superpower of the world never allow poor countries to grow richer. the reason is so simple, then who can they rule?who can be cheap modern age slaves? world needs poor, undeveloped countries because rich sountries needs that. first world countries say this..in my opinion..keep poor people alive just to live daily life not to think about other stuff..we take care of that stuff.if they want more create illusion, let them have that..we know what's happening, and they think they know what's happening.
ReplyDeleteCompetition helps, but is not necessary. The most progress in space exploration was done during the cold war...in fact, I doubt humans would have ever had the desire to go to the moon if it wasn't for military competition...
ReplyDeleteThe reason why life is so scarce in the universe is because the conditions for life to develop are very rare...or maybe other life is not intelligent enough to communicate, or that distances are too large for contact. A species that has reached this far (humans) are very unlikely to destroy themselves in nuclear war.
Some more explanation about my last comment, it seems some malunderstanding: about the competetion :
ReplyDeleteI didnt say it`s totally a bad thing, i said the way wich they are doing this is bad becouse : thers no rules that put some limit in that, exploting the earth resources till dead, every country seek its own intrest and not humanity, read this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma
wich is a lose_lose game.
About scaracy of life in universe, i didnt mean only nuclear war,
but wasting energy and resources till it`s late to find an alternative planet, it`s not only about energy.
and about what you mentioned : life condition is rare and there are too far from each other, correct but you forgot that this univerce has some billion years of age,
some how some inteligente species could find some way to get around it, right? during all those billion years.
it`s like evolution of life in earth, it`s very hard to occure life in 200ยบ celcius , but it occures after trying all possiblities.
What i said was, maybe, life appeared in many places in the univerce, but allmost of them(not saying all of them) couldnt reach
enough time + some chances + reaching inteligente species + develope the home planet + manage the resources to get the ability to travel to those other far planet wich can be life.
our tecnology is far from to reach to effort the amount of energy wich we need to travel intergalaxial.understandable.
but what about those planets wich inteligente species apeared long time ago? multiply it by the number of all planets that could have life during all this time.
about the competition : it`s good, no doubt on it.
ReplyDeletebut see the actual situation : china is growing too fast with the high price of earth.
All other Powers can not effort to pay all the prices alone. andsome of them dont want it(USA)
in EU some conutry may think about Global warming.
BUT : if they and only they respect the earth, their economy will suffer a lot becouse of china and and in feuture by brasil and india, they have to do the sane to survive, wich will lead us all to death,
Im not negative, i hope thing get changed, but at the moment this is what happening.
Look at middle east, western country are invensting on religion to keep people fool,
since all country didnt get freedom and democracy, then maybe we see democracy in international scale, wich will lead us to a planetary Government, then remaining resources could be used to find some way to go out.
there be still Competetion, but with rules and limitation of the elected government.
There be corruption?
yes, but less than now.
even a super intelligent species is unable to travel intergalactic distances...or perhaps even interstellar. Firstly because they will still be limited by the speed of light...and even so it will take millions of years to travel...besides, it's simply not worth it, because it uses a lot of resources.
ReplyDelete