I’ve mentioned my fascination with the future before, and lately, I have been contemplating the role of technology in that future.
For as long as humans have been walking the earth, they have been making use of technology. From the very first stone chisel to the Roadrunner, technology has always been a significant part of our lives. In fact, it’s hard to imagine life without some form of technology making life simpler, easier and faster.
When we think of technology, we usually think of high-tech instruments such as computers and satellites, but technology is much broader than that.
Technology is, in essence, any extension of humanity (or human capacity) for the purpose of functional enhancement. Eyeglasses are a low-tech extension of the human faculty of sight and enhance our ability to see. A bicycle is an extension of the legs and feet, and it enhances our natural ability to transport ourselves from one place to another.
Technology adds an enormous amount of convenience to everyday life by increasing both our efficiency and effectiveness but, sadly, every extension of ourselves through technology both adds and takes away.
We can produce takeaway food for the masses in under 30 seconds, but our levels of obesity and disease are at levels never seen before.
We can transport ourselves from point A to point B in record time, but the cost in terms of human lives, CO2 emissions and resource depletion are substantial.
In short, technology is both a blessing and a curse.
So what role will technology play in the future?
Up until now, technology has been largely used to augment or enhance human capabilities, but in the last 100 years, we have seen technology begin to replace human capabilities (consider the automation of many of the manufacturing processes in industrial and agricultural circles).
Some (like the Luddites) argued that technology would ultimately replace the need for humans almost altogether, and their concerns have been the backbone of many apocalyptic visions of the future, such as Orwell’s 1984.
However, realistically speaking, technology is not likely to replace humanity as long as technology and humanity remain separate entities. What Orwell and others probably never envisioned were the breakthroughs experienced in nanotechnology and biotechnology that, for the first time in human history, open up the possibility for humanity and technology to be fused at a level never before thought possible.
While the idea of a technologically enhanced human may well be appealing to some, the question arises as to what point a technologically enhanced human ceases to be a person and becomes a machine.
Genetically modified humans are already amongst us, so how much longer until we have people substantially enhanced by nano-biotech? Will this new race of technologically enhanced humans be the key to our future, our progress, and our conquering of outer space? Will they be able to live longer, grow stronger and ultimately lead the human race into the inevitable colonisation of the planets? Will this mean that humanity will become more diverse than ever before? New breeds/races/types beyond any cultural or linguistic designation we currently know?
I guess only time will tell, and God knows how much I wish I could be around to find out!
