Growing up in the 60s and 70s in rural America, one had little reason not to be optimistic about the future (though, of course, some of us had the Book of Revelation keeping us in a cold sweat). The baby boomer’s had every reason to believe they would match and exceed the abundance of their parents. Clearly, this optimism for the future was securely established much earlier. Viewing the idyllic future painted by Futurama at the 1939 Worlds Fair—an experience which mesmerized hundreds of thousands of Americans—draws a sharp contrast with the rampant pessimism of today.

Continue with Part 2.

Where are today’s the grand visions of the future? In sharp contrast to yesteryear, we hear far more in the media today about fears of technology gone bad. Many around us live in constant fear of what’s next.  Thomas Frey nails it when he claims in an opinion column in today’s Rocky Mountain News that this is a result of today’ new market for fear. News organizations spend enormous budgets on stories designed to tell us what we should fear. Politicians build platforms based on fear of the opponent. Hollywood creates movies where technology is the villain.  Fiction-writers like Crichton pen books like Prey painting a horrific future where unrestrained technology wreaks havoc.

Reality will likely fall somewhere in between these extremes. Well-funded and staffed organizations such as the Foresight Institute amd the Singularity Institute are focusing on the challenging sociological and ethical impact of tomorrow’s technology. Because of these efforts, combined with the undeniable affects of accelerating change such as the astonishing increase in solar cell efficiency demonstrated in labs over the past year, I do not hesitate to place my bets on a brighter future—a Futurama of 2025. Whatever the outcome, it’s going to be quite an experience. I feel very fortunate to be along for the ride and young enough to see it through.

Filed under: Future, Religion, Technology