I don't think it's entirely true that you can only connect the dots looking backward... certainly it is an order of magnitude more difficult to be objective abo

I don't think it's entirely true that you can only connect the dots looking backward... certainly it is an order of magnitude more difficult to be objective about ones own time, but it can be done if approached correctly. For instance, we can look back at the past and realize that choices were made in certain situations that were flat out in opposition to reality, and in such a way that the people of the time KNEW (or had the tools to know) that it was the wrong choice. Looking at present society through this kind of lens, ignoring social convention and analyzing things objectively, is, I think, helpful. For instance, it would not surprise me if within 100 years our current culture is looked down upon for being extremely oppressive and prejudiced against adolescents, harming them tremendously by denigrating them during a very formative period of their lives. It follows the pattern of every form of prejudice we have overthrown in the past. We view ourselves as superior, construct very poor scientific arguments for that superiority, and go about enacting great oppression, controlling the group 'for their own good' while expecting the worst of them (humans react poorly to oppression, so this expectation will be met). Similarly, it is very likely that we will find many of the general ideas we have about sexuality will be shown to be very destructive and unhealthy. Our research already shows that increasing sexual activity by any amount results in real measurable health benefits. And history can show us that we exist in the most non-sexually-active period in human history. We'll certainly correct that at some point, history pretty much guarantees it. Wherever our society is a freakish unique outlier on something as basic as that, I think it's safe to expect it to be shown to be folly later.