" And the reason why I'm optimistic about the future is because I know that there was
never such a thing as "Utopia" on earth.
hey sharke-you are dead right-"Utopia" was coined by Thomas More in 1516 as the name of a fictional island but the common perception is that of a "perfect"world.
"It was always a harsh, cruel place in which the vast majority of living creatures lived desperate lives of fear and subsistence."
coming from someone who lives in NYC that statement is understandable.
i worked in NY for a year in `91 and it only confirmed to me that this is not how we were meant to exist.
"fear and subsistence"-once again you are right-we are a violent species but most of us are not unless threatened.
and what`s wrong with subsistence-growing your own food,harvesting power and water,recycling or re-using your waste-that is my life-it`s not rocket science and sustained us til the industrial revolution sent us flocking to the cities for a "better" life.
the current green revolution with it`s mantra of transport miles,organic ,freerange ,free trade,ethical,grass fed blah,blah,is all a throwback to a previous perceived utopia.
i was born into a "utopian" society in the 50`s in rural australia where the only rule was to be home before dark and still remember the procession of horsedrawn carts coming down the road-milkman,butcher,baker etc full of local organic produce so if the house cow went dry or rabbits got the vegies we would survive.
we got electricity when i was 2,sewage and a car when i was 5 and tv when i was 10 but you could argue we needed none of it.
i`ve since travelled the world and especially in asia have found little pockets of utopia where the residents lived anything but "desparate lives of fear and subsistenance" and the more isolated they were from science and technology the happier they seemed.
read the early explorers-Cook in the pacific-Burton in Tibet etc-they all found their version of utopia,apparently.
there is no doubt science and technology have increased life expectancy and especially infant mortality but at what cost?
both my wifes parents are in their 90`s,hospitalised and supported artificially,have had enough and are desperate to end their lives but science will not let them.
i have friends whose children were kept alive form birth by science but whose quality of life is questionable.
your argument that science and technology will save us is questionable as they are arguably what got us into this mess in the first place.
but then,i am a relic-a dissilusioned old hippie with dirt under my fingernails and callouses on my hands and am off to pick an eggplant and some brussel sprouts for dinner in my own little utopia.
not bragging or showing off-it took most of my life to get to this point and all i`m saying is that,to me,we have altered the physical world to such a state that no amount of R & D will ever heal it and when the so called convergence of computer science happens i doubt artificial intelligence will give a fig about us frail,mortal humans............
cheers