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In the year 2050 what do you think science and technology will be like? How will things have changed from now to then? Do you think the world will be more like science fiction or just like today? What do you think?
I think there could be at least three different possible scenarios. First, we could be living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where humans must battle for every tiny scrap of survival we can find. Second, we could be ruled by the very technology we create, becoming slaves to the world we have built. Third, the tribulation and final war could have come and gone, with the survivors preparing for the thousand year reign of Christ.
Then again none of the things will have happened and we will be barely more advanced than we are today. After all it is only 36 years from now.
I was reading yesterday that someone (university group maybe?) has discovered a way to load data into a liquid with the end hopeful result being a liquid injected in the brain case that would act as a computer database with instant (well, near instant) access to virtually unlimited information.
And we think there's too much schizophrenia now...
I think there could be at least three different possible scenarios. First, we could be living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where humans must battle for every tiny scrap of survival we can find. Second, we could be ruled by the very technology we create, becoming slaves to the world we have built. Third, the tribulation and final war could have come and gone, with the survivors preparing for the thousand year reign of Christ.
Then again none of the things will have happened and we will be barely more advanced than we are today. After all it is only 36 years from now.
So you think we're just barely more advanced than we were in 1978, I mean that was just 36 years ago?
So you think we're just barely more advanced than we were in 1978, I mean that was just 36 years ago?
I think technological advancement is exponential, not linear and certainly not near stagnant. So, I agree with the point of your question.
We will have significantly more advanced technology in 2050 than we have today and that difference will be even greater than between what we have now and what we had in 1978.
Automation will replace many of the work performed by humans today. One challenge will be finding ways to keep the 'excess' labor force employed.
There will continue to be a rising global population of middle class and severe poverty will all but disappear. That trend is already occurring.
Greater global trade and interdependence will lead to greater global cooperation. The trend of fewer conflicts will continue. It may be hard to believe, but we live in the most peaceful period of human existence.
Humans will start to colonize Mars by 2050, but this will be a long process and will be in its infancy at this point.
I think technological advancement is exponential, not linear and certainly not near stagnant. So, I agree with the point of your question.
We will have significantly more advanced technology in 2050 than we have today and that difference will be even greater than between what we have now and what we had in 1978.
Automation will replace many of the work performed by humans today. One challenge will be finding ways to keep the 'excess' labor force employed.
There will continue to be a rising global population of middle class and severe poverty will all but disappear. That trend is already occurring.
Greater global trade and interdependence will lead to greater global cooperation. The trend of fewer conflicts will continue. It may be hard to believe, but we live in the most peaceful period of human existence.
Humans will start to colonize Mars by 2050, but this will be a long process and will be in its infancy at this point.
While we are technologically advance more than we were in 1978, and will likely see such advancements continue to 2050 and beyond, the real question is where will it all lead?
I agree that the current trend is that technology is replacing more and more of the work force, and widening the gap between the rich and the poor with the middle class shrinking. While it may be optimistic that we may overcome such a challenge, there is no guarantee of that kind of success. Add to that, natural resources continue to become more scarce either from depletion or territorial hoarding. That sort of thing is already leading to conflicts around the globe. Hardly the peaceful scenario that you envision.
About the colonization of Mars, that depends on what is meant by "colonization". While I don't doubt humans will be sent there by or before 2050, it's fair to keep it in perspective. What resources does Mars have that would be useful to Earth? Can such materials be transported to Earth that would be economically worthwhile? Initially, only a few boots will actually be on the Martian surface primarily as a scientific research team, much in the same way as Antarctica. If the goal is to ultimately populate the planet as an alternative or extension of Earth, it's going to have to be able to sustain human life for long periods of time. As it is, Mars seems like an attractive place to live, but it's far from it. The planet is still extremely hostile for life. It lacks a global magnetic field, it lacks an appreciable atmosphere, it's extremely cold, and its proximity to the Asteroid Belt and Jupiter makes it more of a target for direct impacts from asteroids of various sizes. While Mars is a planet worth scientific investigation, it's essentially a cold desert planet.
While we are technologically advance more than we were in 1978, and will likely see such advancements continue to 2050 and beyond, the real question is where will it all lead?
I agree that the current trend is that technology is replacing more and more of the work force, and widening the gap between the rich and the poor with the middle class shrinking. While it may be optimistic that we may overcome such a challenge, there is no guarantee of that kind of success. Add to that, natural resources continue to become more scarce either from depletion or territorial hoarding. That sort of thing is already leading to conflicts around the globe. Hardly the peaceful scenario that you envision.
Everyday we are reminded of global conflicts like what is happening across the Middle East, Ukraine, Afghanistan, etc., but the historical trend is actually toward a more peaceful civilization. There is less conflict today than there has ever been in history.
I think economic globalization has promoted and reinforced peace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NightBazaar
About the colonization of Mars, that depends on what is meant by "colonization". While I don't doubt humans will be sent there by or before 2050, it's fair to keep it in perspective. What resources does Mars have that would be useful to Earth? Can such materials be transported to Earth that would be economically worthwhile? Initially, only a few boots will actually be on the Martian surface primarily as a scientific research team, much in the same way as Antarctica. If the goal is to ultimately populate the planet as an alternative or extension of Earth, it's going to have to be able to sustain human life for long periods of time. As it is, Mars seems like an attractive place to live, but it's far from it. The planet is still extremely hostile for life. It lacks a global magnetic field, it lacks an appreciable atmosphere, it's extremely cold, and its proximity to the Asteroid Belt and Jupiter makes it more of a target for direct impacts from asteroids of various sizes. While Mars is a planet worth scientific investigation, it's essentially a cold desert planet.
Yes, we are far from colonizing Mars. I don't think we will mine it for resources to be transported to Earth, but think we will use the resources there. We might be 100 or more years from being self-sufficient there.
There is talk of terra-forming the atmosphere of Mars, filling it CO2 to warm the planet to make it habitable. I'm not sure if that is possible, and it won't happen quickly if it was.
Everyday we are reminded of global conflicts like what is happening across the Middle East, Ukraine, Afghanistan, etc., but the historical trend is actually toward a more peaceful civilization. There is less conflict today than there has ever been in history.
I think economic globalization has promoted and reinforced peace.
In your previous post you said: "There will continue to be a rising global population of middle class and severe poverty will all but disappear. That trend is already occurring."
Global poverty has made a remarkable decline, but the situation still faces huge challenges to be overcome, which I'm sure you agree with. I would hope you're view is right. However, out of 7 billion people, 1.2 billion people are still living in extreme poverty. That's not a pretty picture in my opinion. A big problem is the the birth rate. While it too has been declining, that could lead to a more equitable distribution of resources. While it may look promising, a lot of unexpected conditions can quickly change to create a large tidal wave of poverty. Remarkable Declines in Global Poverty, But Major Challenges Remain
Quote:
Originally Posted by futbol
Yes, we are far from colonizing Mars. I don't think we will mine it for resources to be transported to Earth, but think we will use the resources there. We might be 100 or more years from being self-sufficient there.
There is talk of terra-forming the atmosphere of Mars, filling it CO2 to warm the planet to make it habitable. I'm not sure if that is possible, and it won't happen quickly if it was.
I'd say far longer than 100 years. Terra-forming a planet like Mars, even under ideal conditions, could take thousands of years, if not much longer. The problem is with extreme cold (average temperature is -81F), and a lack of a suitable atmosphere. It's thought that Mars probably had a reasonable atmosphere and magnetic field early on, but today we know there's no global magnetic fields and what atmosphere it had has been blown off into space by the solar winds. Even if you could fill up the planet with CO2, there's no way for it to stay intact to be useful. It would be blown off into space. I do think that small groups of people could potentially manage to survive, but probably not for long periods of time, and certainly not a thriving planet-wide population as a 2nd Earth (so to speak). We're still not sure what effect the lower gravity of Mars would be on human beings. We do know that low gravity can have negative effects. Again, it depends on what you mean by colonization. At best, Mars will more likely be a location for scientific research.
I don't think economic globalization creates peace. Look at the merging of major companies and its effects on displaced workers. People are starving. The more people starve, the more violence there is.
The middle class is depleting with globalization, and there is a wider gap between the richest rich and the poorest poor.
We can't deny that as a fact.
With technology advancing at a rapid pace, and robots taking over human jobs, there is a scarcity of demand for people in the workforce. More physical labor will be required in terms of extracting natural resources and maintaining the aging population (not just Baby Boomers but the future Millennia generation as well) by humans, but the jobs won't pay as well when people have to compete with robots for their jobs.
I think in 36 years, if we don't take care of our planet today and we completely deny the facts, yes, the earth will be depleted and we've completely effed up the world so bad that the mission the Mars is the only hope.
They're already signing up to send 8,000 people to live on Mars in 8 years. This is an initiative by a Swiss (?) corporation as a one-way ticket for the population of trained astronauts to build the basic infrastructure for a new society. In other words, there is already a plan in effect to build a planned privatized society without government laws or rules to protect people, and now people are at the mercy of a giant multiconglomerate, which isn't any different from the corporate oligarchy some people live in now.
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