Caprica, Gamer, & Surrogates: Overlooked Benefits Of Virtual Worlds.

[auroraglacialis]

Originally Posted by Human No More

But then, if you prefer older technology... for everyone who wishes they lived 10 years ago, there is someone who wishes they did 20 years ago, or 50, or 200.. it's ironically the same as development, some people will just never be happy.

Thats the problem isn't it? That people are not really able to do what makes them happy without struggle and influence by others. This society does not allow for that, I'd go as far as to say that this form of civilization does not allow for it, as the uncontrolled lust for development by some prevents others from living the way they want to live. In the general picture it is post-industrialized countries (USA, Europe) versus industry countries (China, Chile) versus "developing" countires (Africa) versus native non-country people (all over the world). Of course the details are more complex than that simplification and does not only include wealth, "development" and resources but also environment and social issues. All of these get shifted and distributed inequally and one takes from the other - often without knowing or planning so. This is, why all of this is not working and I say there has to be a change that goes beyond dealing with single issues and symptoms of this.

Back OT - the coming advancements in nanotechnology and human machine hybridization and genetics are of course not much different from cellphones, computers, the steam engine. The differene is only, that they are mostly in the future, so there is still room to think about how to handle these things. Beeing a cynical person, I doubt they will do and I'd bet people will run into it with the same blindness and obedience to this kind of development as always - go forward now, deal with the (social and environmental) consequences later