Technology will end civilization?

Back when I was in college we had this funky old professor who used to predict that Civilization as we know it would collapse under the weight of technology.

He argued that someday man would create a "Something" that while not Malicious in itself would destroy humanity and send us screaming back into the dark ages.
Now this was back in the late 1970's we didn't know about things like Nanobots or super-bugs (Viruses) we didn't have the idea of the Borg where a being would willingly augment their bodies with machines and become machines.

A short quote from my class notes at the time reads.

An analysis of the history of technology shows that technological change is exponential, contrary to the common-sense "intuitive linear" view. So we won't experience 100 years of progress in the 21st century -- it will be more like 20,000 years of progress
It is unlikely we as humans could experience 20,000 years of progress in such a short time and still remain as we are?

Okay so he never did guess at what would be the end of us all. or maybe I should say the end of what we are now?

Anyway this has been a question that has lay in the back of my mind for years and every once in a while I see it creeping closer...See us edging to the great fall as it were.
so I pose this theory, this prediction, to this group and ask what you all think?

[edit on 24-12-2007 by DaddyBare]

[edit on 24-12-2007 by DaddyBare]

reply to post by DaddyBare


Hi/
I remember reading an article about Technology and the end of times!
It spoke of ''when technology reaches it's fullest,then it would also be the end of mankind!
What I'm not so sure about is, how does Technology reach it's fullest?

helen

Merry Christmas

reply to post by DaddyBare


It is not the technology that will cause our extinction.

The way the dictionary defines progress is not the way we define it in reality, that is to say in our quest for the progress we believe technology brings us we will voluntarily enslave ourselves to the prince of the power of the air.

I think it has to do with some new discoveries in genetics which will be used to give us longer healthier lives.

Who can say no to a longer heathier life?

The people who allow themselves to become genetically modified for health reasons while it may give them their strength back and allow them to live eight hundred years or more like we did pre flood it ultimately leads to alienation from the life that is in God.

You see in our rush to save ourselves and live forever we will be destroyed because true evil does not have to force itself on people, it has its most success when we volunteer.

Let me throw one notion out there...
We've all read about people addicted to Virtual Reality (VR) as in second-life.
These are rather normal people who work a normal 9 to 5 job eat their prepackaged microwavable dinners then long into their self created VR world.

They change every aspect about themselves, sometimes to the extent of changing gender. they even get VR married and have VR children. to them this is a preferred reality to their real lives. I'm sure many would, if they could download themselves to live full time in this VR world.
well what if that became the norm?

People no longer interact in the physical world but only exist in the VR world?

As another example we all know Japan is working on companion robots. what will happen if a robot becomes the preferred life partner for most people? what would happen when the birth rate plummets to the point where there not enough people to keep things running?

the concept is it's not a big event (Super Virus) that does us in, rather a slow change that takes us by surprise.

yes. technology will end our life..but more specifically, military tech. like the nuclear bomb. Robots will try to fight us, but the only thing that can kill us are those Nukes. and we have made them for the worse..lets just hope the machines don't get ahold of them right?

reply to post by jedimiller



It will be genetic engineering that leads to the extinction of mankind.

We do not control capitalism enough we allow the free markets to decide the direction of our technology and to define progress.

The things we long for the most are the things that will kill us all

Everyone wants long life and perfect health so that is what the market will give us.

The mark of the beast is a genetic marker.

You will be given the opportunity to live for a thousand years and to have perfect health.

Of course you will not technically be human any longer but what the hell there is no such thing as a God or Satan is there.

If I came to your doctor and said I am with a pharmaceutical company and we have perfected a technique for genetic enhancement that will extend life by several hundred years and allow for perfect health what do you think he would say?

No one is even going to think it has anything to do with the mark of the beast because no one actually believes the beast exists in reality any more than they believe in the gods.

Besides those who don’t get the treatment will die off in time anyhow so what difference does it make if they do believe, what can they do to stop people from having a longer healthier life?

It is called Anti-Christ because it is a false savior but that does not mean it can’t save us and if it can enslave us by giving us what we want then why not do it that way?

It wants to use us what good are we if we don’t agree freely to help.

People have a misunderstanding about the real nature of evil.

True evil does not have to force itself on us, we volunteer happily everyday.





[edit on 3-1-2008 by newday]