Galileo K. Darwin

The Human Forecast Galileo K. Darwin 1st edition

Human civilization has undergone many changes over the past five thousand years, but have we made any real progress or simply created more problems for ourselves? If we continue on our current course, what may the future hold? What role has technology played in creating the major problems that exist today? What promise, or peril, do emerging technologies present? Are our social systems part of the problem or the solution to our problems? This book addresses all of these questions by leveraging a unique perspective to explore such issues. After examining the role that technological discoveries have played in shaping human civilization, this work examines how emerging technologies in the fields of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics (the ?GNR technologies?) may ultimately determine the future of humans as well as other life on Earth. This work also proposes a novel solution to the major problems facing us by leveraging certain GNR technologies to evolve ourselves to a more elevated state of being. In this evolved utopian state, we are free from all of the stresses of modern life, we no longer engage in environmentally harmful practices, and we are able to adopt social systems which correct for the flaws in our current economic, political, and religious systems. At the same time, this book recognizes the significant dangers inherent in pursuing the GNR technologies. This work also discusses how our current economic, political, and religious systems increase the likelihood that the pursuit of the GNR technologies will accelerate us down a self-destructive path. Thus, unlike most books relating to technology, this one takes a holistic perspective that considers the interconnections between technology, the environment, economics, politics, and religion. Absorbing, intriguing, and deeply thought-provoking, this book is sure to serve as a catalyst for initiating many a discussion on how we should manage technology to create a brighter future while simultaneously being aware of its dangers.