Looking too far ahead?

Filed in archive Society & Ethics on January 19, 2007

James Hughes at Cyborg Democracy speculates:

Perhaps our descendents will use nanotechnology to turn whole planets into intelligent, living stuff, each atom a processor in a planet-sized mind, conscious of the fall of every sparrow and capable of preserving the memories of every life. In such a world our personal identities could continue for billions of years.

Just as our Paleolithic ancestors could not have anticipated our great cities, our arts and machines, or our spiritual traditions, so we cannot now imagine the grandeur of the accomplishments of our posthuman descendents.

Meanwhile, back on this planet, the hands of the world's Doomsday Clock were moved 2 minutes ahead yesterday to just 5 minutes from the end of civilization.

"The dangers posed by climate change are nearly as dire as those posed by nuclear weapons," said the report. "Over the next three to four decades climate change could cause irremediable harm to the habitats upon which human societies depend for survival." (hat tip on the Hughes quote to Nanowerk.)