How far will technology go?

[Kurai 304]

Awhile back I read that humans ability to evolve technology will only go so far. The most interesting to me being humans will never develop the ability to travel at the speed of light, hence never being to expand past our solar system. 
Even though I take this with a grain of salt, it got me thinking. How long till we can no longer advance? Where do you believe we stop?

[Nine 707]

After we get broccoli to taste like pizza I'm honestly not sure what we'd still need science for.

[Jeric 46,851]

Love this topic. From what we understand of the universe right now, there are limits. That is the key -- our current understanding. Each year we expand our knowledge and each new question answered births new theories. String Theory is one example of some crazy approaches to things that used to be taken for granted. Do I see humans ever achieving faster than light travel? Yes. Not through any conventional means, and not without unlocking a few secrets in quantum mechanics and dark energy. It also will NOT happen for a very long time. Do I think we will ever be able to explore all of space. NO. Space expands faster than light, so we can't even see past the observable universe. Also, I do believe that the universe will over expand, or collapse at some point (Great Rip, Great Crunch, or Big Freeze).

 

The question I have is this: when we achieve our greatest pinnacles of technology and knowledge, is existence fulfilled? Would Homo Sapiens even be our species?

[Hansel 1,512]

After we get broccoli to taste like pizza I'm honestly not sure what we'd still need science for.

 

This is the best thing I've ever read in my life.

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

It'll probably go pretty far. Imagine what the world was like in 1914. Compare that world to today's world. Now just imagine what 2114 will be like. Assuming the Earth isn't a radioactive hell hole, I think the technology will be pretty awesome. 

[Guest]

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Edited December 22, 2016 by plzremoveaccountfdfd

[Kurai 304]

 is existence fulfilled? Would Homo Sapiens even be our species?

I believe by that point homo sapiens would be long extinct. We would've entered a form of "transcendence"or "godhood".  With advance manipulation of gravity we could create planets, control the evolution of other species, travel between galaxies. Hell would we even really have physical bodies anymore? Maybe we would be just digital minds  

[Scootalove 10,689]

Technology will continue to advance years from now, even when we have accomplished many feats of inventing other things. Even we will start to learn our boundaries, but it can go very far.

[Teller 360]

In the year 2028, the 1 nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process will be a thing.

 

Silicon can't really be used in a manufacturing process smaller than 1nm, so unless we find a different element in the meantime that can take its place, growth in computational power will reach a stagnation.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Teller

[Jokuc 8,173]

After we get broccoli to taste like pizza I'm honestly not sure what we'd still need science for.

 

I know your post is a joke, but to answer your question:

 

• Discover/create a good energy source.
• Find a good way to travel in space.
• Colonize another planet.
• Find a way to save our own planet.

 

These are the things humanity need to achieve if we want to survive

Edited May 6, 2014 by Jokuc

[DubWolf 17,263]

Kinda what I asked on here earlier; is there a maximum efficiency design for anything? I guess it's a little different than your question.

 

As for traveling at the speed of light, though impossible, I think we can mimic this effect through wormholes, or basically, taking shortcuts across large distances of space, thus the travel time is greatly decreased. Is this science in a certain movie? Star Trek?

[silvadel 1,393]

Humanity is not like that -- it would not do with being unable to advance.  We will find a way even if we have to create our way.

[Princes Cadance 345]

I feel like the growth of technology is exponentially decaying. There was so much to discover in the world a few centuries ago but now we can only work with what we have (we as humans I mean). Well eventually we will get to wherever we want to be but I think, contained to the realm of Earth, technology is going to just slow down in advancement.

[Judgement 445]

I think that there is always room for improvements. Eventually, we will get to an era of pointless inventions like "Floating plates", that are just there for amusement. Technology may always advance but it won't advance in a useful way.

[MiStErUnMeRry 328]

I believe by that point homo sapiens would be long extinct. We would've entered a form of "transcendence"or "godhood".  With advance manipulation of gravity we could create planets, control the evolution of other species, travel between galaxies. Hell would we even really have physical bodies anymore? Maybe we would be just digital minds  

 

 

You mean transhumanism? 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism

 

 

 

The futurist philosophy around the idea that humans will continue to change as their technology does to the point that humans will have actually transformed until they are considered post human-hence transhumanism=transform human-

 

this idea is already in action technically, we have cyborg arms for one thing and you could say that since a part of us that is meant to be a part of standard biology is now in fact robotic we are making cyborgs which is a form of transhumanism.

 

There is no reason to believe this won't continue unless a counter regulation to how much we can change is presented to society by either ethical principle or rule.Hell, If you don't mind setting the bar really low we sort of started transforming humans when we begun using steroids or having replacement hips and so on. Let's not also forget that the internet itself has forever changed how humans interact and communicate with each other.

 

 

There is also a term in Tranhumanism for what you just said: Post Human God which revolves around the idea that our capacity will become so great that compared to our understanding of the universe at it is will seem to be the point of godhood itself.

 

 

I just worry if there are already life forms that have achieved this "post human god" stage out there and the only reason we haven't got their attention is because we are either too small to be of interest or too primitive to really notice.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

 

 

 

Effectively if my fear someday comes true we are pretty much looking at a Cthulhu-esque scenario. Roll sanity.

 

 

HAIL CTHULHU!

 

Hail the Murder Cube!

Edited May 7, 2014 by MiStErUnMeRry

[Kurai 304]

This may come out as complete gibberish, I've had a bit to drink today.

 I have to say, I was quite fascinated by the Kardashev scale. The type 4 and 5 level is quite a interesting idea to imagine. The ability to influence the universe in such a manner would be quite a extraordinary thing to behold. 

Now the question is, would such a advanced civilization be able to recreate the big bang? Go between universes and create their own ?  

I just worry if there are already life forms that have achieved this "post human god" stage out there and the only reason we haven't got their attention is because we are either too small to be of interest or too primitive to really notice.

Why would they pay attention to us anyway? We are just barely evolved apes that still cling to foolish notions like religion. We are still separate tribes that fight and bicker over equal rights and resources. When we could make great advancements and even make a transition to a colonizing species if people could realise to work together.

But would we even be allowed to become a type 4/5 civilization if there is already another one? Would they start seeing us as a threat to their power or the universe?
 

Edited May 7, 2014 by Kurai

[Rift enchanted 380]

Well eventually we will have a population of 300 on Mars by 2080. Then 2100 the population will dive down at an alarming rate with hundreds of people dying each day and less resources to develop anything. By 2110 Earth will be a deserted wasteland and The Mars colonization group will continue on what we failed to finish.

Edited May 7, 2014 by Rift enchanted

[Winona the Dog 1,984]

I think we will go as far as multi fuctional robots (like Mega-Man) hover boards, jet packs and most other things we see in sci fi, but you're right.

 

We do have our limitations so technology would stop eventually. Personally i give it until about the 2030's.

[ZooZLight 64]

We will develop robot ponys to spread the magic of friendship...

[CadetGrey 267]

[This post is hidden. No offense to anyone, but I am no longer part of the community and no longer wish to be an (active) part of the forums. I treasure the friendships I made along the way. Thank you!]

Edited March 28, 2021 by CadetGrey

[Adorkable 2,737]

Technology has no real limits, I think with enough time, almost anything can be possible. ^^

[MrFox 44]

Well, according to some futurists(Ray Kurzweil is one) it is very likely that we will a hit a technological singularity by the 2040's. Once this happens, the sky is the limit.

[MiStErUnMeRry 328]

This may come out as complete gibberish, I've had a bit to drink today.

 

 I have to say, I was quite fascinated by the Kardashev scale. The type 4 and 5 level is quite a interesting idea to imagine. The ability to influence the universe in such a manner would be quite a extraordinary thing to behold. 

Now the question is, would such a advanced civilization be able to recreate the big bang? Go between universes and create their own ?  

Why would they pay attention to us anyway? We are just barely evolved apes that still cling to foolish notions like religion. We are still separate tribes that fight and bicker over equal rights and resources. When we could make great advancements and even make a transition to a colonizing species if people could realise to work together.

 

But would we even be allowed to become a type 4/5 civilization if there is already another one? Would they start seeing us as a threat to their power or the universe?

 

 

 

I am very iffy with forums so I am on and off alot due to life. Please forgive the long wait for a reply.

 

 

If working together was the most functional path to humanities success it is most likely that we would all of been working together ages ago, it follows the idea that ultimately what humans are only really after is output and production capacity-be it for science or material wealth- where basically our entire struggle philosophically, religiously and politically is that we crave more than simply doing well. Everyone wants to do well but we all want to well on our terms. There is no paradise, there is no unity, there is no collective.

 

No. Organic life has done well due to a struggle system and intellectual life will prosper due to a brutal intellectual arena based on the same scrutiny. The lazy cynics and the unstructured dreamer must be dragged out from all their beliefs, philosophies, political subsets and ideas, nothing does this better than opposition. We are all the poison in the well, we are all the homeostasis(water self cleaning process) 

 

Yeah, it sucks...but you know. Life is full of hard truths. You can either headbutt the rock or work with it and create something useful or artistic like a statue.

 

 

Although you could say that technically science serves the common interest and thanks to stuff like the internet that allows information to be transferred across nations in seconds that we are inadvertently aiding one another in our technological growth.

 

2:

 

Hard to say, I mean at the point when a species has reached a 4 or 5 on the scale as far as we are concerned they are god like in comparison to our current perception of the universe. If a creature is of such vast intellect and power it may be they are totally incomprehensible to the human world view due to the reason that

 

1: They are alien and there go already present a barrier of general understanding

 

2: they are highly evolved aliens whom could even be post versions of their own race, even further increasing their gap between our species

 

3: they understand and witness so much of the universe that we can't measure or perceive what their reasoning may be. If they are able to move from our world into other forms of realities, even perhaps into other phases of existences we are unaware of at this time that they no longer adhere to anything that can count as logical or reasonable as those ideas would not do them any good in another reality where such logic and reason are non-applicable.

 

 

4: We don't know their culture, philosophy or religious values if they have any or their physiological states. For all we know they could be Borg Bugs with no sense of self, super ego or real ethical or philosophical disputes and growth but seem so alien we can't identify their lack of these things.

 

 

So....why?

 

 

Who knows. It's possible that if existences are linked humanity may have a bigger unaware effect and it attracts their attention, maybe they are bored, maybe they are hungry, maybe they like to establish dominance, maybe they want the world or to preemptively get on a growing races good side. Maybe they are friendly and just want to see all intelligent life be able to cross the stars.

 

 

or....you know...they could be so advanced that we are already under their control without even realizing it. 

 

 

 

None the less, pretty fun to imagine one way or another.

Edited May 12, 2014 by MiStErUnMeRry

[Hovershy 3,814]

Technology will continue to advance until the movie I, Robot becomes a reality.

 

Then Will Smith will save us!

[Gourgeist 262]

It could end 2 ways:

 

1. Robotnik takes over like Sonic SatAM

2. We all become test subjects for Aperture.