From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Sat Oct 12 2002 - 13:07:19 MDT
On Thu, 10 Oct 2002, Samantha Tennison wrote:
> Unless New Frontiers are opened - the end result will
> be the world becoming a giant hyper-controlled
> microprocessor, with ever minutia of our lives being
> regulated in the name of public safety and
> conservative (muslim and Christian values).
I'll take a different approach from Greg and Ron. Lets look at
scientific progress. The human genome sequence is complete,
people are starting to talk about being able to genotype everyone.
People are pinning down diseases to specific genes left and right.
Gene therapies are starting to show some progress (i.e.
possible cures for Parkinson's:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/10/021011071232.htm)
So we are going to see therapies that can extend lifespan
significantly -- and its going to happen in this generation
(nods to Damien for writing a book about this). Don't classical
(western?) religions hit a wall at some point -- where reality starts
to bite really hard into the basic premises? [I.e. longevity
therapies mean you are unlikely to die and/or nanotech allows
the average schmoe to perform "miracles"]
It would appear that if technological innovation continues
to accelerate (even pre "singularity") that most of the
western religious framework is going to hit a wall sometime
in the next couple of decades.
Now we already have a minority trying to "rewrite" reality to fit
their beliefs (the evolution-is-only-a-theory camp). If religion
hits the wall really hard will this create a backlash that puts
the "middle-of-the-roaders" into the "rewrite" camp? Or will
people be educated enough such that most religious beliefs
morph sufficiently that religions simply become social clubs?
So do we really need new frontiers or does religion run into
hands that it can't trump?
Robert
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