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Updated version 4.0 of humanity's future (needs, progress & reform; links added)

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Here's a Q & A monologue on some of my layman's ideas on humanity's future:

Q: Many hope technology will give mankind a better future. Do you see needs or ideas for blockbuster inventions which could positively affect humanity's future in a very significant way, & that may be created anytime soon?

A: First, 2 links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invention

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow...archy_of_needs

An invention can help meet more than 1 of Maslow's needs, or different needs at various times (an invention helping travel is 1 case). Otherwise inventors more often may be tempted to focus on inventions meeting needs near the base of Maslow's pyramid of needs, to hope for the largest profit, perhaps.

Before the end of the 20th century, I heard it supposed that the 21st would be like ten 20th centuries in 100 years, in terms of technological progress for humanity. After about 1.5 decades into the 21th century, it seems to me that such a rate hasn't yet occured. Original ideas for blockbuster inventions that may be created anytime soon haven't occured to me, but Maslow's pyramid of needs, sci-fi I'm aquainted with & my knowledge of history all give me the idea that blockbuster inventions likely won't be created in large numbers anytime soon. The problem as I see it is we've likely created the bulk of relatively easier blockbuster inventions already (biological research proceeds at a breakneck pace, but serious ethical issues lurk).

Take travel for example. It's been huge for exploration, progress & commerce in the past. Nowadays it's not going to get much faster on land, at sea or in the air anytime soon. Space travel has big hurdles to overcome, both for distance & for man's biological limitations (changing humans biologically for space travel or for living on other planets has been suggested, though this is a challenge too, if anyone really likes the idea). On Earth teleportation is now real, but there's a long way to go before being capable of applying it to things as large as a rather brave human being. Meaningful time travel for man is also still just a theoretical idea with its own big hurdles afaik.

In spite of all this I'll now take Maslow's pyramid of needs from the base up as a way to brainstorm for needs or ideas for original blockbuster inventions. At the base there are physiological needs & then safety needs are at the next level. I'll get around to talking about the environment later, noting for now it can affect one's physiology. If we can't stop the decline of our environment sufficently it may one day be time to think seriously about how to move possibly many of us off the Earth, assuming we ever find anywhere we can go.

Regarding safety needs, anything that improves the field of medicine would be nice. A real blockbuster invention would be something that increases most everyone's longevity. Short of genetic tampering with humanity, which may take a long time to perfect if ever, & which has big ethical issues, there's nothing I can recommend more for now than a healthy lifestyle. On social problems affecting people's safety, I'll deal with that later. The next level on Maslow's pyramid is for love/belonging, & I'll merge that with social problems. The same goes for the next level, i.e. the need for self-esteem.

The final level of Maslow's pyramid of needs is the need for self-actualization, i.e. the need of a person to realize what they see as their full potential. IMO anything that helps the economy of the nation that a person resides in would aid his chances of realizing his full potential. Also nice would be if the average IQ or wisdom of man could be raised somehow by a blockbuster invention. I recall an old Star Trek TV series episode where an alien woman put on her head a device that temporarily taught her how to make use of a nearby hand held phaser (fictional weapon), so I can't claim any such idea is mine. Again I'd suggest a healthy lifestyle, as one's brain tends to function better with a healthy body.

Q. I get the sense that you think a lot of humanity's problems are self-inflicted, & that minimizing that by reforming would get us at least as far ahead as any inventions we might come up with for a long time to come. Am I right?

A. Bingo. I'd speculate that at least 50% of humanity's efforts go towards repairing the consequences of countless human failings, in all their forms. Widely adopted sound child rearing practices could go a long way for starters. No blockbuster novel approach to social problems could help as much. I am at heart a Christian as far as many of my beliefs go, though I'm hoping we'll never have to go through anything like the End Times, from start to finish at least. Now you also have an idea of where I stand on what is causing many of the world's social problems. Note that Maslow later added a higher level to the pyramid of needs, i.e. self-transcendence, the need for altruism/spirituality. Fwiw, I'm guessing large scale divine intervention (perceptible or not) may happen soon, if only to avert WWIII.

Back to things I have in common with secular people, e.g. my concern for the environment. It affects people's physiology, & social problems (e.g. insufficient regulation by politicians on profit driven industries) can affect it. A blockbuster invention that'd be a very effective means of dealing with pollution worldwide would be nice, but is unlikely to happen, & shouldn't have been needed.

Politicians applying carbon taxes in many nations is not going to be effective IMO, & is likely a means of wealth redistribution for a 'problem' (manmade global climate change) that seems to me to be in reality a gigantic hoax perpetrated for more than 1 reason. Strategically applied direct regulation on industries & widespread efforts to clean up pollution worldwide (even by volunteer citizens) could take care of much pollution that's undenably real. In my father's day the schoolkids used to be taken out at times to pick up litter, if nothing else.

[1st, 2nd & 3rd updates: Many wikipedia links added below.]

On 1 environmental organization (it's suspected as 'corporate greenwashing'):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_America_Beautiful

On radical environmentalists:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_environmentalism

On environmental law:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_law

On carbon taxation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_tax

On bee colony collapse disorder:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_collapse_disorder

On global warming controversy:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global...ng_controversy

On new world disorder:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wo...world_disorder

On parenting styles (including undeniably poor ones):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parenting_styles

On advantages of physical exercise:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_exercise

On Efficiency Movement:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efficiency_Movement

Quotes of a famous Norweigian member of Efficiency Movement:

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Thorstein_Veblen

On 1 human error rate assessment & reduction technique:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_...tion_technique

On technology in general:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology

On theorized accelerating rate of change:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerating_change

On idea of progress for humanity:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idea_of_Progress

On 20th century TV series concerning invention (included ideas about future):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series)

On 21st century so far:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_century

On possible space colonization:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_colonization

On teleportation at the quantum level:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_teleportation

On theoretical time travel:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_travel

On genetic engineering:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_engineering

On attempting to extend human longevity:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_extension

On so-called intelligence enhancing drugs:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nootropic

On human enhancement:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_enhancement

On study of ethics:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics

On human wisdom:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom

On relationship between religion & science:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relati...on_and_science

On theological issues pertaining to any intelligent extraterrestrial life:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exotheology

On 1 original Star Trek TV series episode:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spock%27s_Brain

On fictional Kerward Derby hat in Rocky & Bullwinkle Show TV cartoon series:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durwar...ral_references


On my personal religious beliefs (& experiences):

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...s-experiences)

On hypothetical political platform of mine:

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...tical-platform

On link re: # persons involved to endanger a conspiracy:

http://www.chesscanada.info/forum/en...l-a-conspiracy

Updated 02-09-2017 at 03:55 PM by Kevin Pacey

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