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Ask HN: What is the potential of human technology?
What is the ultimate goal of human technology as we understand it at this stage?
Where will technology be in 1, 5, 10, 100, 10^3, 10^4 years?
Areas to consider:
* Locomotion
* Communication
* Agriculture/energy
* Infrastructure and social arrangements
As technologists, what are your thoughts on this?
- curt 16y agoPeople forget that technological development isn't linear but an exponential curve. Once we get to a point where machines can design themselves the sky is the limit. Right now all human knowledge doubles every 2 years. Look back at the technology 50 years, or just 20 years ago and see how far we have come. It's impossible to predict where we will be even just 20 years from now. In the 20-30 year time frame everything from immortality to artificial sentience could be possible.
- icey 16y agoI hate image dropping in comments, but this picture of Apple's flagship products 10 years ago and today seems relevant: http://i.imgur.com/KhDWo.jpg http://i.imgur.com/KhDWo.jpg
- pshapiro 16y agoI'm surprised to find someone like you who shares such a similar viewpoint as me. Although I don't believe it is fully impossible to predict where we will be 20 years from now -- it's just an ability that's historically limited to a few people by the role they have in the process.
- coryl 16y agoThe ultimate goal of technology is to make human lives better; more comfortable, easier, safer, securer, etc. I think Maslow's hierarchy of needs might help define the priority of invention (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslows_hierarchy_of_needs). The ultimate step in this hierarchy is "self-actualization", whatever that is. Once we satisfy our social, biological needs, (easy cheap food, plentiful resources) we can work on technology to "self-actualize". This technology and process could fundamentally change the meaning of being human.
- anamax 16y ago> I think Maslow's hierarchy of needs might help define the priority of invention Where's entertainment in that hierarchy of needs? Maybe entertainment isn't a need, but it's a pretty strong want, a want that has resulted in considerable invention already.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- jonnathanson 16y agoI'm reminded of a quote from The Princess Bride: "Life is pain....Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something." Technologists are the ones selling you something. To be slightly less glib, what I mean to say is that technology solves life's problems, and because those problems evolve as rapidly as we do, the march of technology will never cease. Did the inventor of the wheel anticipate the auto mechanic? Probably not. But from some primal, proto-hacker-like mentality, he probably knew he was creating as many problems as he was solving. And that's the beauty of solving problems. I know my solution is good when it solves the problem at hand. I know my solution is great when it paves the way to tackle even bigger problems.
- turbojerry 16y agoThere is no ultimate goal, though the idea of harnessing zero point energy if it is possible is certainly intriguing, it might allow us to stop the universe from ending in heat death, that would be quite an accomplishment.