Each year, I ask students in my #STS480 class what they take the future to hold. I collect them here:
| If only we could see clearly and truly into the future to understand how our actions and progresses set the future into motion. In regards to the climate and recent occurrences, such as the extreme wild fires in California, the US leaving The Paris Climate Agreement, the shrinking of a national monument that was protected by the government to drill for oil, I believe that there will be extremely harsh environmental restrictions that while helping to curb the effects of climate change will pervade all aspects of daily life, or they will continue to go unnoticed and the climate will continue to self destruct.
-H.M. 2017 |
| I think eventually society and technology will become one. The way we communicate, eat, talk, live our daily lives, will all be done through some form of technology. We already see this happening today. We see lack of society, people don’t talk face to face anymore, its through texting, face time, on the phone. You don’t need to go to the mall or grocery store in order to get clothes delivered or food sent to your house, and it is all due to technology. There is no more colaberation, for example you don’t need all these different sources to create an industry. With the touch of our finger we can now look up ideas on the internet, create a business, sell, make money, become rich all from your computer and without talking to anyone else. I think with how fast everything is evolving within the next five years we will be able to do everything from our phones, just how we can go up to a screen and order our food at a Mcdonalds, we will soon be doing that everywhere. Within fifteen years I think all cars will be driving on their own. This is already becoming a thing, and I think by then all cars will be able to do this. I think that by 2050 we will see drastic changes with our climate change. I think we will face some type of ice-age due to the ice caps melting at such a fast rate.
C.P. 2017 |
| Briefly, I think that in the next 5 years we will begin to see slimmer, almost ‘invisible’ technology that will be used for relaying your thoughts to peripheral devices. I know of a bicycle that can change gears just by you thinking it. Additionally, I’d like to see a broader reach of (responsible) DIY science to people of all ages and intellect. In the next 15 years, I hope that we have enough of a handle on CRISPR. I’d love to see the engineering of ZIKA virus to target glioblastoma stem cells become a reality. By 2050, I hope to learn that the recently proposed NASA missions will have found life outside of Earth. The understanding of life-bearing chemistry other than our own here on Earth would surely benefit from the budding field of synthetic biology, which I hope to see expand beyond my current imagination.
M.A. 2017 |
| Five years from now, I see us with self-driving cars. We have the technology already for cars to self-park. I think electric cars, smart cars, and plug-in hybrids will be more affordable to mainstream America. People will take responsibility for their health decisions accessing linked health data and test results on-line. Many hospitals and doctor’s offices already provide this service. Health information will be linked by a national data base.
           Fifteen years from now, I believe we will see affordable health care for everyone. We will have developed new antibiotics to address bacterial strains that are now resistant to many commonly prescribed antibiotics. I think we will have reached a point in embryonic stem cell research, where stem cells can be safely used to repair damages to the heart, brain, and other major organs. I believe scientists will develop the use of drones in outer space, and I believe we will finally get the word that life does exist out there in space. We have already found evidence of bacteria and microorganisms on rocks, on surfaces, and in water and ice. Information technology will continue to advance. Smart phones, computers, and robots will be capable of highly intricate maneuvers and programs. On the medical scene, I think genetic testing will be more readily available to doctors to assist them in diagnosing diseases more quickly, and deciding on the best course of action for treatment.            By the middle of the century, gene therapy and genome editing will be accepted and commonplace, accessible to all. The cost will no longer be a deterrent. Space exploration will have advanced to the exploration of the entire solar system. There possibly will be opportunities for civilians to travel to the moon. I foresee foods in pill form, drugs customized to meet our individual needs based on our genetic coding, and holograms will be a part of our video and computer games. On a more serious and worrisome prediction, I am afraid the legalization of other drugs besides marijuana will become the norm across the country, and as a result, we will begin to see changes in the matter and functionality of the human brain. We know the world will be warmer, and weather patterns will be different and extreme. We’re already starting to see evidence of this with this year’s record rainfall, flooding, and hurricanes. Scientists are predicting much higher levels of CO2 with possible irreversible side effects. And lastly, we know with certainty there will be more people living on our planet than today. The world population is projected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050 (according to the U.S. Census Bureau). Will we reach our carrying capacity? How will we provide for the needs of a growing population with significant consumption of energy, food, and water resources?            We have a lot of exciting discoveries to look forward to, but we need to take care of our Earth. It’s the only one we have.  B.A. 2017 |
| Five years from now I do not expect a great deal of change with respect to science and technology having practical effects on modern life. I do suspect a great many break through by researchers currently researching, like our telekinetic monkey friend, or the Chinese Stem Cell researchers. The Chinese may decrease the mortality rate of those embryonicly modified human cells! (I struggle to call a cluster of embryonic cells a human person.) Five years from now there will only be five years of freshly graduated researchers beginning at the bottom of the collegiate research funding pile. This group, while motivated and researching in a world with already more knowledge, will be a bunch of greenhorns. Give them until tenure to really get their labs cooking.
As for fifteen years, entire new groups of tenured profs will be the ones with substantial enough funding for quality, potentially ground breaking research. And thankfully, a bunch of dull old “not going anywhere with research or educating but tenured anyway” profs will either be retired or dead. Hopefully by fifteen years, a whole decade of ass-backwards traditions and beliefs will just be eliminated from the earth, with their progeny realizing progress forward with society and technology is the only true way to break the stagnancy of human policies. Fifteen years…. I’m assuming the same lame brains will still be running the country, unfortunately, so we’ll have approximately 49 states (minus Florida) and about 3 billion island dwelling people to relocate. I’m a doomsday, rapid climate change is already irreversible, kind of fellow. I’m assuming my “Death Honor” pact with all my friends who do not want to live on a planet inevitably, and rapidly, becoming Venus has gone through-Old Yeller Style. However, to avoid such a scenario, I’m really pulling for a complete shift away from fossil fuels to exclusively renewable energy sources. Net reduction of Carbon Dioxide Emissions on a global scale (that means you CHINA,) and the industrial scale production of a new Ozone Layer for Australia first, then everywhere else after Australia has been taken care of. We’ve give them enough skin cancer already, I hope Australians still have skin in 2050. By 2050, we better have tackled Bjorn’s list of completely tackle-able problems, like HIV, global water, global food, and the like. Should I still be kicking by the time 2050 rolls around, I hope I’ll still be some sort of educator, and I better be able to talk honestly about sex education. Damnit, if i don’t spread the word about the dangers of Syphilis, then Syphilis will for me. And the mass spread of Syphilis is definitely going to be a condition of the Old Yeller Pact, so there better not be anymore of that crap. I’m thinking, by 2050, condom science will completely eliminate the “comfotablility” or “decreased sensitivity” excuses, and everyone will be required to be educated in their usage. The world could be so much better by 2050, but if there are only massively wealthy or massively poor people, and racism, then we’ll be looking like the prequel to Elysium. Hopefully as an educator I will be able to have an impact on every generation of humans up to this point, that movie Elysium really sucked and life as the prequel would be even worse. Thank you for a great semester Dr. Carlos. I really just took this opportunity to attempt to make you chuckle/cringe/enjoy some dark humor, I make better sense of the social, politcal, and scienctific issues that way. Cheers, and Happy Holidays! R.C. 2017 |
| The future is very scary to think about after taking this class. There are so many extra pneumonias that are happening that people are not aware or educated about. In respect to science, it’s interesting to see how far we have come from the space race, to what is happening in the environments, and to the progressions in human enhancements. Technology is like a seed, it is full of potential and once it becomes a tree, it reproduces back into another seed where is creates something new. Society seems like its needs to work together to be successful and be more cooperative. There needs to be a better job done about educating the communities and to get more proactive about hot topics, no pun instead. This class has definitely opened my eyes to a lot more issues we have in society than ones that are already stated.
In five years (2022), hopefully we have a new president that cares about climate change and global warming. It would be great to see the United States get back to being involved in the Paris Act. There needs to be more actions taken about global warming and be as proactive as possible because we only have one Earth, we can’t take that for granted. Â It would be awesome to see equity gained back in our Natural Forests/Parks and that they are restored to being completely protected. It would also be nice to see gas prices go down and there be more access to electric resources (cars). We need to reduce our carbon foot print as much as possible and to be less selfish as human beings. It would also be interesting to see if social media has such a influence like Twitter and see if it makes advancements even more personal. Â In fifteen years (2032), hopefully we make some advancement in technologies that enhance many human lives. With new gene technology, maybe someone finally finds the cure for cancer or other leading disorders taking many lives. I think there will be a big push in medicine and treatments. There seems to be new ones every year like human arm transplants or even mechanical arms. It would interesting to see if global warming gets worse or if any of the programs work to help prevent it, like the limestone project. Lastly, developing self-driving cars would be something special, having technology takes over the roads. Â Â In the middle of the century (2050), hopefully we have more involvement in space and exploration. It would be really interesting to see what robots are created and what they are used for. It would be awesome for us to go back to the moon and see if anything has changed or we could learn from. Maybe we could send robots up there and we wouldn’t have to worry about sending crews. Google could bring back their glasses but make them more fashionable so people will use them. Who knows, maybe we will shrink everyone like in that movie we talked about in class so we don’t run out of resources. Human enhancements could become extreme enough to give people super powers. The possibilities are endless. In all, the future is unknown which has everyone shaking their heads. All we can do is try to be as proactive as possible and create an environment that can correlate with the best quality of life. I know I would like to get more involved. J.W. 2017 |
| Something that I have learned in the last couple months is that the future is unpredictable. I am sure we look back at the material ““ learned in class ““ and think that events that changed the way of live was predictable, but I do not think that 100 years before the Space Race, were people thinking humans would ever step on the moon. This being said, this will be my best attempt at predicting the future, in terms of technological advancement.
In five years (2022), I believe that we will not have changed much, but maybe move forward towards the direction of electric cars and perhaps a more e-commerce way of living. We are gradually moving into more an automatic way of living, so more research may start up in different areas to make our lives “easier”. In fifteen years (2032) I believe that we will have dramatically advanced the way transportation works. Recently, Uber has decided to look into flying taxis, and I believe that will certainly be in the works by that time. In addition, Tesla has developed zero transmission, fully electric cars, in what seems to be no-time. If we are not traveling in hovering vehicles by that time, I am sure we will have all switched from gas to electric vehicles. Â In 2050 we will have developed automatic technology that includes smart houses, artificial intelligence to help in our daily lives including at home and in labor. Many jobs will be lost due to robots, and the wealth gap will be at its greatest. E.U. 2017 |
| Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The future of our societies will undoubtedly become more advanced due to technologic and scientific advancements. Although the impacts cannot be predicted with complete certainty, I propose that the future may hold some advancements in the next five, fifteen and thirty years that can be predicted now. Because of my passion and interest in climate change, as well as the sound scientific data that is researched today, I will focus on what the future will look like at these three benchmarks with respect to climate change.
             In five years, the current US administration will change back to a democratic president and congress (House and Senate majorities). The push to cleaner energies (non-/low-carbon emitting) will have undermined Donald Trump’s push for ‘clean’ coal and industries as well as local governments will have made substantial progress in retrofitting old technologies and expanding energy portfolios to create more carbon-neutral power grids. With the help of a democratic administration, national and global climate change adaptation and mitigation policies will be enacted and enforced for the first time. The impacts of climate change will be more noticeable in five years, with a greater occurrence of droughts, floods, sea rise, and billion-dollar-plus natural disasters. I also believe that the trend of global warming will continue, even in the most optimistic climate models. *On a side note, take a look at the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) carbon trajectories and their relation to the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) and their reports (specifically AR6). In fifteen years, the ‘Six Americas of Climate Change’ will have drastically changed, with more Americans believing in Climate Change, making changes to daily lifestyle, and its impact to society. The notion of Republicans denying in climate change will no longer be prevalent in American society. Major energy producers, the same ones who make campaign contributions to the same congressmen, will have transitioned to clean energies and will no longer push for coal, crude oil, or natural gas in the same way that we currently see pushes in 2017. The climate will continue to change drastically, sea level rise will start to threaten some major cities/countries, and global warming will continue.               In thirty years, countries located in dry regions will begin participating in water-related wars. The global agreement that climate change is the most pressing issue of the 21st century will be an absolute truth. Major cities like Miami, New York City, and other costal metropoles will have undergone major relocation and abandonment. The impact on neighboring states/cities will be strenuous will create difficulties. Despite greenhouse gas reduction and mitigation, the cumulative effects of centuries-long emissions will have devastating effects. Unless there are geoengineering projects, large-scale carbon capture projects, or meaningful changes implemented today, the 21st century will be faced with some troubling climate- and weather-related problems. S.B. 2017 |
| One big thing which I think the future holds that not a lot of people are looking at is the colonization of Mars and space in general. It seems a little ridiculous to think we can actually have a civilization on another planet but it is something that we should be taking very seriously. Climate change is happening very rapidly and there are people running our country who don’t seem to believe it because it benefits them. There will become a point in time that the planet Earth will be uninhabitable due to climate change. Humanity cannot survive on one planet and having a colony on Mars will be very helpful in the future. There is no telling how fast climate change will affect the planet and make it uninhabitable but knowing there is a back up plan will be crucial in continuing the human race. Nobody thought it would actually be possible to send a man into space or put someone on the moon but we did it. I don’t think starting a small colony on Mars is out of the question.
B.W. 2017 |
| In 5 years, 2022, people will become more and more sensitive and concerned with political correctness as society progress. Everyone wants individual freedoms and rights, so much so it leads to the appoint of appropriateness cannot be defined by black and white lines anymore. Self expression is important but being in check with reality, coming to peace with oneself’s identity can be made easier than to bend the norms of established culture. However, society seeks to only advance, and when that force is demanding, it become inevitable. Science will take big leaps, not huge, but big. It is said that science and technology go hand in hand and that both aspects progresses at an exponential rate. Wearable technologies will be even more practical, accessible and receive sleeker, more innovative designs. Hardware will keep on gradually fading out as virtual realities/projections make its way into world.
By the year of 2032, Google or other pioneers in the field will achieve expressive A.I. models. It will be self conscious, self aware, and know its self worth. If an A.I. realizes that it’s makers/creators are mortals, yet itself is immortal and has access to information that no man can yet reach, the only logical move for it to make is to dominate the human race. I don’t see this happening because I feel as if its designers will always ensure a working fail-safe switch. Mankind would not purposely create something that can potentially trump us, although, accidents do happen and one must always predict the unpredictable. Societal values will continue to shift in the direction of less human to human interactions of the flesh, but rather the exchange of thoughts through technology, cloud, or a service device that’s invented for communication. It’s rather difficult and challenging to imagine human society/communities by the year of 2050. Would economical gaps between developed countries and underdeveloped countries be closed due to the aid of technology and advance science? Or, will those factors widen the gap to a even larger degree? My best guess would be that since innate human nature doesn’t change much, selfishness will still prevail, and lending a helping hand won’t happen until one’s got his feet set first. Well, humans are never satisfied and that’s a great advantage towards progress in almost anything, however, it can be seen as a downfall as well when the situation is applied to lending a helping hand. Some technologies that may exist will be fully safe made completely autonomous self driving cars, maybe even hovering cars using magnetic technologies. If cars could fly/hover at different levels, it’d translate to less traffic jams and possibly the elimination of stop lights for a program could traffic flow forever smooth. N.Y. 2017 |
| Virtual Abyss.
J.W. 2017 |
| I think the future is very difficult to predict. Small, sudden changes redirect the whole flow of human society. However, I think some things such as genetic modification will continue to advance and become a bigger part of every day life. I think in five years we will hear more about real testing possibilities. I think in fifteen that maybe China will have started doing genetic modification on people. I think the United States will be slower than most of the world, partially because thats how our government is set to work. Also because we have a conservative country compared to other countries. I think that in Fifty years we will have go there.
T.R. 2017 |
| The future holds a lot of uncertainty especially in regards to climate change. Because climate change lacks a lot of support, it is very difficult to implement a program which can work to fully combat climate change on a global perspective. While I have hope that measures will be taken in order to prevent climate change and improve sustainability, I believe that it is going to take time.
Within the next five years I think that there will be a lot of natural disasters which will impact a huge amount of people all over the globe. I also believe the issues we are currently facing are going to become worse before it gets better. I also predict that there may be a lot of work towards educating people about climate change in order to unite everyone in this effort. I think that the combination of these two factors will inspire change. Within the next fifteen years I would hope to see policy changes as well as systems put into place to increase sustainability. Hopefully within the next fifteen years there will also be a lot of efforts being put forward to fix infrastructure and eliminate greenhouse gasses. I am not sure that by the middle of the century we will have fully solved the climate crisis, however I hope that by this time there is a more unanimous perspective on climate change and that at this time there will no longer be a question of whether or not climate change exists, but more of a question on what else we can do to reverse these effects. M.T. 2017 |
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           I think technology is an ever-growing aspect. With that, technology and science go hand in hand and as one grows the knowledge of the other also grows, and vice versa. As these continue to change and advance I think it is important to realize that these have ever-changing effects on society and how we live.            In five years, I predict the main focus, in regards to technology, remains on medicine mostly. We are fixated with the idea of curing diseases and disabilities and I do not think that will stop until we have reached some sort of goal or advancement in that area. Along with that, the idea of clean cars will be more widely accepted. It is already in the beginning stages, and I think as companies continue to update them and make them more available for the average commuter, it will be an even more thriving aspect of transportation.            By 2032, in fifteen years, I predict we will have solved a lot of the environmental issues. Maybe not actually fixed them, but have at least implemented plans that are working towards fixing things and in a timely manner. This could cover things such as our large deforestation problems, getting a reliable source of clean water to third world countries, reversing the effects of global warming by fixing society’s carbon footprint. With the state that the world is in today, I think we won’t have a choice by this time except to just fix it.            Imagining the world in 2050 is a pretty tough concept for me to grasp. However, with the rate of advancing technology we have today, I can only imagine that in over 30 years the world will be more movie-like than ever before. I think the idea of flying cars and curing cancer aren’t super unrealistic. I hope by this time we have made a more successful effort to take care of the environment. I even think it is possible that we will have found a way to make the Mars atmosphere livable. C.S. 2017 |
| I think as for the five year mark in 2022, we can expect to see new technology when it comes to communication and diseases. The communication aspect will build off of the new technology that we have for translating languages. I think it will further and benefit the communication that we have between countries. We can use this technology to communicate with scientists all over the world and discover new research. As for diseases, I think we will start testing the editing of the single mutation in the genes. I don’t think it will happen right away, but I believe research will be underway.
I think in 2032, there will be more cars that will drive themselves just like Tesla has developed. I think this technology will later spread to over vehicles driving themselves such as trains and trollies. I think as for science, we will have found more cures for STIs and diseases such as cystic fibrosis and MS, diabetes, etc. I think in 2050 there will be planes and trains that drive themselves. I think there will be more trains like they are building now where it will take you from cities like San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2 hours. I know they are developing those right now, but I think they will be all over the world. I think there will be cures for at lease 1/3 of the cancers out there, at least available at the early stages. I think chemotherapy will harm the patients less and we will have better solutions. I think there will be more robots working at fast food joints and restaurants. I think there will be more prosthetics that better fit your body and your nervous system so that you can have almost a real arm/leg feeling. Overall, in the years to come I think we will make immense progress in science and technology. C.S. 2017 |
| I think in the coming years we will see a resurgence of social hierarchy through increased value placed on social media and status. I think the most influential effects on society will be directly related to the internet.
 2022 I think the fall of net neutrality will be the biggest issue in the next five years. I see internet providers as using net neutrality as a tool to regain control of a market that is growing and changing to something that beyond their capabilities. While they respond to their monopolies being threatened through lobbying against net neutrality, hope what we will see in the next 15 years is companies undercutting the IPs. 2032 Richard Serra’s Television Delivers People points out that networks don’t sell advertising time to advertisers, they sell viewers to advertisers.  By this logic, it is in the best interest of the networks to have the most amount of viewers to sell to advertisers. Companies like Google, who are pro-net neutrality, want internet access to be for everyone so that they have more to sell to advertisers. I see startup internet providers, browsers, TV networks, etc. becoming free and easily accessible without a cable plan so that they have a larger audience base to sell more advertising. This is evident with Google’s toe-dip into wifi, Google Fiber, and Cellular, Project Fi. The cable companies’ repeal of net-neutrality provides room for them to be undercut by newer technology and free-internet philosophies. In this social media becomes even more connected to modern existence as a direct and credible extention of the self. In China there is already a social credit system. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34592186 I wouldn’t be suprised if we see something similar in the next 15 years. 2050 – goes semi-dysopian Internet and cable are free, limited adds are extra. Social credit scores are just as important as financial credit scores. There’s no big brother watching, it’s just everyone else… N.M. 2017 |
| 1. Biology modification via robotics, effectively eliminating disease.Â
2. Automation occurring at a rate so quickly that the economic realities for many in the world become grim. 3. No more fiat currency. All digital. 4. Debates about current social issues (gay marriage, trans bathrooms, etc) being laughed at for their miniscule meaning in the future political climate. We are going to have issues, real issues. 5. Possibility of the destruction of the human race, via conscious technology that realizes how destructive we are or how meaningless we are. 6. Self- driving cars. 7. Matrix type of VR simulators that allow for socially awkward folk the opportunity to check out of society. (Nozicks Dream machine). 8. No more eating and drinking, wont be necessary. 9. TELEPORTATION 10. Human clones D.K. 2017 |
| Currently, we are living in a time of impressive technological development, and I am both excited and concerned over what I might witness in the future. In five years (2022) I believe that we will see regular and cheaper spaceflight, and possibly the development of low-orbital flight as a form of international transportation far quicker than airplanes. In fifteen years (2032) I believe that climate change will have affected the earth immensely and negatively: there will be millions of climate refugees, the weather created by the changed climate will be worse than ever, and hopefully the world will get entirely on board with developing alternative energy sources and more ways to help lower the amount of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere. I also believe that we will see technology that integrates with human bodies and brains, like a cell phone implanted in your ear and cheek that you can trigger to call with a thought. In the distant future (2050) I anticipate seeing increasing amounts of genetic modification, the steep reduction of genetic diseases, and the reversal or halt of the aging process. Throughout this entire time, I hope that the levels of equality between the wealthy and the poor (the privileged and underprivileged) will begin to even out, possibly following a war or revolution (or two), but I am not sure this will actually occur, especially given the burgeoning problems of climate change. I also hope that somewhere in that period, we will discover how to regulate and control nuclear fusion.
E.M. 2017 |
| I believe the future of science, technology, and the society will tremendously change in five years, fifteen, and even the middle of the century. These three categories are all intertwined and I think that changing one will often change the other. An aspect I find truly interesting when thinking about the future is science. Thinking about what we have accomplished through medicine is shocking. But when we look at the whole picture we see major gaps in some of our biggest threats such as cancer. I think that in fifteen years we will be taking key steps in the right direction for certain cures. When dealing with science we may run into some problems along the way, but I’m sure there will be a light at the end of the tunnel that benefits humanity overall. Technology will not only impact science but also our society. In some cases when we look at what we have accomplished in space and continue to do so everything seems limitless. Looking back in the past 15 years there has been an incredible change in technology including phones, computers, cars, etc. It is evident the amount technology has changed our society where some people now prefer to text rather than speak with someone in person. Some individuals have completely indulged themselves in their virtual life and have little care for what’s in front of them. It’s interesting to see how much has changed and even more mind boggling continuing to wonder what society will be like in 2050. I say with confidence that I think science and technology will take a huge shift for the better of mankind.
M.C. 2017 |
| I think that future may hold a lot, with the respect to science, technology, and society; more specifically with how technology is going further growth within science and change human nature within society. I believe that within five to fifteen years, countries may return to space, more specifically the moon. I think with the way that technology is growing, that goal is quite within reach, especially with what Elon Musk is planning with his company SpaceX. I also believe that people, within five to ten years, will have developed a technology that will help reduce the impacts of climate change. I say this because I have noticed a lot more people becoming aware of this problem, especially after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris Climate deal. Also within five to fifteen years, I see more technologies being developed to help out people with disabilities. To further explain, I don’t mean technologies that would be considered invasive to people with certain disabilities, such as the cochlear implant. For example, to help bridge the gap in communication between Deaf individuals and hearing individuals; I have already seen technologies such as a transcriber, for iPads and/or other tablets, that is able to read sign language and transcribe it in text for hearing individuals who don’t know sign language. Overall, by the middle of the century, I believe that people will start predicting what is next for science, technology, and society; I believe that people will already have the technology that we are only starting to explore today.
T.L.K. 2017 |
| Â Â Â I think that the future for science, technology, and society will be both positive and very negative. with respect to climate change, I think that there will be little positive change in five, fifteen, or even by the middle of the century. With as much as I have learned in this class, it looks very much like we have already made our bed when it comes to preventing climate change and the only thing that we are feasibly able to do about it now would be to treat the symptoms as they come. When it comes to human enhancement, I think that there are some great strides to be made within the next fifty years. Some of which would most definitely encompass preventing future genetic mutations such as cystic fibrosis. I think that there will probably be issues concerning private ownership and the cost of genetic therapies for the general public though. Furthermore, i expect that there will probably be a great amount of innovation when id comes to enhancements. Some will inevitably be ridiculous and unnecessary though. Not to be that guy, but just because it can be done does not mean that it should. I am just really excited to see where the future takes us with regard to gene therapies and disease treatment and prevention.
J.A. 2017 |
| Â Â Â In the year 2022, I think that science, technology, and society will have advanced significantly, but not enough to make a major difference compared to today. I think that we will still struggle with the same issues, like car accidents, climate change, and diseases. I do think that we will be migrating towards the future at a faster rate than today though. For example, I think that self-driving cars will be much more common by 2022. Also, I think more politicians will be on board with preventing climate change and push harder for renewable energies. Lastly, I think that space exploration will reach new lengths getting us closer to colonization of other planets.
   In the year 2032, I think that the world will be significantly different than it is today. At the rate that technology is advancing, I think that we will look back and say, “holy cow, life was so much more simple back in 2017.” I think that we will have nano-bots, by this time, that can do everything from repair cells, to tear organs apart. I think that a lot of animals will be extinct by this point, which will change many ecosystems. Climate change will be extra bad, we’ll really be in trouble by this point. Hopefully we’ll have produced a way to counteract the effects though. Like absorb the CO2 somehow.    In the year 2050, I think that genetic engineering will be common. There will probably be a pretty significant divide between the rich and the poor. People will have designer babies that are super geniuses. There will be so many that they will get all the good jobs. People who cannot afford to be genetically modifies will be stuck in very low paying jobs doing only the least desired jobs. I think that AIs will also take a lot of jobs from humans. By this point in history, we will probably be able to upload and share memories through the computer. I also think that our lifespans will be super long. To prevent over population, the government will probably put a cap on how old you can be. Once you hit that cap, the kill you. T.W. |
| What I think, and what I hope for are two different things. I would love to say that by the middle of the century (2050) we will have conquered our biggest societal issues and that the world will look much like it does in Star Trek. However, I understand that not everything works that way. Things usually get worse before they get better.
I think that in five years our technology will have advanced some, but that it will have started to slow. This mainly will come from governmental regulations and certain ideas becoming unpopular or more frightening to the masses. In fifteen years we may make it back to space, at least I hope so. We might have a handle on some of our global issues, but I am more inclined to believe that we will be in the middle of a war by this time. By the middle of the century, I think that we will be starting over again. Depending on how the war goes, and whether the nukes that are stockpiled get used or not will determine what the world looks like. It could be peaceful and on the right track, or it could be more like mad max. I just hope that we can get our shit together in time to save ourselves. S.A. 2017 |
| I think that there are so many advancements being made every day that humanity is progressing at a rate that could have some dangerous effects. I tend to have a more negative view towards humanity and think that we mess things up more than make things better. However, in the next five years, I believe that technology will continue to advance and there will be some pretty cool inventions. I think that in five years there will be a definite cure for cancer although it may not be able to be fully implemented yet. This would be a great thing. During this time I think that the world will continue down its path of reaching a one-world government. Man will continue down the road of relying on their phones for everything thus the family structure will continue to deteriorate. In fifteen years, I think that we all would be able to travel internationally without the need for a passport, which would have its positive and negative effects. It would be easier to see the world and travel. It would also allow organization groups to hurt many people and go under the radar. I think that we will begin to see cars that work entirely free of gasoline and run on more resources that are readily available. This would be good for the earth and allow it to start healing itself. At this time we may begin to experience a global cooling, and climate change advocates will think that they saved the world. I also believe that we will start to see cars that can fly and I think by this time Darwin’s Theory of Evolution will be thoroughly debunked. Men like Richard Dawkins will be hated because so many read his books and committed suicide after reading them. Christians will also start to be more persecuted in society because of their unwillingness to bow to the AI leader. By the middle of the century, I think that the Gospel of Jesus will continue to grow and societies will begin to be healed as people find truth in the Bible and apply God’s Commandments to restore nations, protect people, and to bring justice to their governments.
E.S. 2017 |
| With the progression from the Information Revolution, there is much in store for the future of science, technology, and society in our world.
In the next five years, I expect to see cars that drive themselves. These cars would not need any type of operation from the person riding in the car. This is not far from where cars are currently at in new technologies. Tesla cars are able to detect cars in front of them and slow done by themselves without any action done by the driver. Tesla cars are also able to match the speed of traffic that they driving in. These cars are even able to self-park when close to a parking spot. All of these features of the enhanced autopilot Tesla increase the chances that there could be self-driving cars in five years. In the next fifteen years, there might be another space race taking place. Much of the space explorations with humans have halted since the intensity of the space race. I believe that in fifteen years anyone, at a certain price, will be able to go up in space. It seems plausible that there will be more high tech space shuttles built by that time and the option for regular people to take a trip up to space. There will be much more than just astronauts, scientists, and a few regular people going up to space. It is incredible to even consider what technological advances will be taking place in 2050, but I expect that the world will be much less recognizable than what it is today. I think that by this time people will have continued to neglect taking care of the planet. I believe that there will be a large amount of pollution and clear aspects of how climate change has caused harm to the planet. It is likely that some important species like polar bears might have gone extinct. Overall, I think there will be a dramatic decline in many species because of habitat loss. T.J. 2017 |
| Facebook recently stated that they were working on technology that would bridge computers with the human brain. I believe that within the next 15 years, this technology will be in effect on a global scale. I agree with Kurzweil’s hypothesis that humans will access and directly share emotions and memories in a social media-type platform. I believe that this will essentially end racism and other forms of inequality.
The way that technology is accelerating, I believe that artificial intelligence will be a major part of life very soon. And with the obvious flaws in our political system, highlighted by President Trump, I believe that it is likely that AI will run the government system by 2050, as predicted by the Sci Fi author Philip K Dick. Potentially, by mixing the brain/computer technology, as well as AI rationally running countries, there may be a chance for Global Peace by the year 2050, assuming sky net doesn’t come on line and robots don’t kill us all… but who know? S.T. 2017 |
| In 5 years, we might still be too close to now to see any major changes in technology other than maybe life outside of our planet since recently the White House released documents saying we had a committee exploring UFO incidents. Ten years out we may see some more changes, probably within hard technology, so phones and computers, maybe AI. By 2050, we expect to see our environment change due to global warming, possible mass migration out of certain areas, a shift in the American economy to rely more on the service sector and technology, and possibly cures to certain diseases that we are still researching today (I hope). We are sending people back to the moon, so that may happen in 5-10 years, but will be a fun sight to see. That also means that we might not get to explore Mars for quite sometime. I think society will see these changes, recognize how fast we are changing, but be amazed by it. We will look back at the 90’s with more nostalgia than we do today. My generation will experience the most technological advancement than any other generation beyond 2050. The world will be more or less the same, but certain aspects of everyday life might be radically different. The need to keep up with technology might subside in my generation, making us the grumpy old people of the future. We might feel embarrassed that we can’t get our new iPhone to sync up to our contact lenses even though we lived through the creation of the first iPhone. We can expect to run into those kinds of issues which I think will be a big shot to our ego since millennials insist on being young forever.
J.C. 2017 |
| Throughout the history of the world we have seen many different revolutions. First, we saw the Neolithic Revolution in 12,500 BCE which was a shift away from hunter-gathering toward agriculture. Next, we saw the Invention of Writing in 3,200 BCE which allowed the scaffolding of culture. Then, we saw the Scientific Revolution from 1543-1687 which was the deepened understanding of nature leading to exploration, empire, and enlightenment. After that, we saw the Industrial Revolution which was from 1760-1840, and that was the shift away from agriculture into textiles. Lastly, from 1980-now we live in the Information Revolution era, which is the shift away from production of objects into design and automation. The technological future is going to continue to grow at a steady pace, and we really don’t know how much technology and science is capable of.
In five years, I believe we can possibly see an end to certain diseases. CRISPR, is most commonly found use of genome editing and is capable of tweaking the genomes of human embryos. I believe that CRISPR will continue to develop ideas and eventually be able to be used on a regular basis in order to possibly bring an end to certain diseases. There will probably be about 10 more iPhones that will be introduced in the next five years as well, they will most likely consist of many more apps. We will see our computers have a number of new softwares as well. In 15 years from now, I think it possible to have many underground transportation systems that can get us from place to place in an extremely quick manner. Like the potential to go from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes. By this time I believe we will really know if we are going through severe climate change, specifically the warming of the Earth. I believe we will send another person to the moon in next 15 years, that is going to be inevitable at some point in my opinion. In the year 2050 we will live in a world where technology is so advanced that computers and other things will virtually do everything for us. Due to the trend in how humans treat the environment, I believe we have majorly affected the environment by that time. I think their will be cars that have the capability of going 200-300 mph. Due to humans interactions and carelessness of our environment I am truly scared to see where our environment may be in 2050. Technological advances are going to continue to develop and the possibilities of where our world will be by the middle of the century are endless. C.B. 2017 |
| With the surge of technology I cannot really say where we will be in ten to fifty years, I just honestly hope we are better off. I watch a lot of Star Trek, and while they still have warp drive and dilithium crystals most of their tech is surprisingly available today. Communicators are just cell phones. What is more amazing is this utopian society they live it. Money has been replaced by merit, all nations formed together and they sail around space to promote peace and learning. While this is an unrealistic goal for the next fifty years, I just hope we are on our way. We live in a dark time full of ignorance and hatred. We are beginning to question things such as the truth because one person or persons say something differently. The planet is dying yet we still insist it isn’t. This is not the world I want to live in fifty years. Humanity is beautiful and we have done some amazing things. In the last fifty or so years, we have put a man on the moon, took steps to de-discriminate, and have connected the globe. We can do amazing things if we allow ourselves, we just need to put aside our petty bullshit and keep going together.
K.B. 2017 |
| I believe that science has an incredibly bright future due to the advancements we have already mad. For example, in the near future Elon Musk has promised that humans will land and inhabit mars. Even though the idea seems far fetched and unlikely, the evidence points to a high possibility of that being a reality. There is also a community of thousands of people that have signed up to live in a space community. I believe these advancements can take place as soon as 2032. Think of how fast technology has developed in the past 20 years and think of the next 20 years. Anything is possible including gene editing to where individuals wont be born with illnesses such as diabetes or cystic fibrosis. This. I believe, will take place in the next 5 years. On the darker side of science I believe by the middle of the century low lying cities such as Miami, or island in the Caribbean will be underwater. Due to who we have as a global leader, and the alarming rate of global warming, the world will look completely different than the world we see today.
A.J.P. 2017 |
| I believe that science and technology will continue to evolve, as well as society. There are many reasons to believe that in five years there could very well be more research done on human gene modification and people could start turning to that to save their lives. If someone has a gene linking them to cystic fibrosis, or even breast cancer, and they have the opportunity to get rid of it before it kills them, I absolutely think that in five years, people will be more willing to do that to help themselves or their loved ones live a longer life. In fifteen years, if global warming continues to get worse, I believe that there will be a large increase of negative climate change. Human activity is constantly changing our natural greenhouse gases. Over the last one hundred years, the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has significantly increased the concentration of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. In fifteen years, I think we will experience a serious increase of hot days that will melt our ice caps and increase sea levels, which will then increase the amount of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, etc. Lastly, by the middle of the century, I think there will be a large increase in human enhancements. I think cloning will be a much more common thing, as well as in-vitro fertilization.
H.A. 2017 |
| I love thinking about the future. I love wondering what new advances will occur with new technology and medicine, and I think our world will look very different than it does today, especially by the middle of the century, but hopefully even five years from now. These advancements will be correlated with topics we discussed in class; climate, space, and human enhancement.
In five years, I would like to see a change in the climate aspect of society. My major is Environmental Science, so I am all for exploring new sources of energy and ensuring that we do not degrade the environment for future generations. Five years from now, I would not expect to see much change in regard to technology, because five years is a very short time span. However, I do expect to see more businesses switch over to renewable sources of energy and decrease their carbon usage. I also expect there to be more recycling facilities in the world and in towns across the country. Recycling is one of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of virgin materials that are being used to produce items that we use, and virtually everything is recyclable in one way or another. In fifteen years, I would like to see advancements in more space exploration. The space race was a very interesting subject to learn about, and I think we still have a lot to learn with respect to the different planets and possibilities of life besides with Earth. I know scientists have been experimenting with the environmental conditions on Mars and have seen that there is liquid water on the planet, which is exciting to think about the possibility of living on Mars. I would like to see more exploration into that planet, and possible human voyages there in the near future. We only have one earth and we are increasingly contributing to a larger human population, and the earth is being degraded at a fast pace. The possibility of living on another planet is something that I would like to know more about, and I think we need more space stories in our news in the coming future. By the middle of the century, I would like to see a cure for cancer. My grandma recently died a couple weeks ago, and she was battling cancer for the past few years. It is heartbreaking to see the effects of such a disease on people, and I would not wish cancer on my worst enemy. It is expected that cancer rates will go up in the future, and some cancers are genetic, which makes me worried that someone else in my family or I might get cancer in the future. 2050 seems like enough time for doctors and researchers to find a cure for cancer, and I hope that this horrible condition is eliminated forever. No one asks to get cancer and we still don’t know all the causes of it, but the future seems promising for cancer research, and I have high hopes for what will come. S.V. 2017 |
| In 2022, I think the most realistic change will be autonomous vehicles coming online for mass transit. Either Tesla or a competitor will be starting the global transition to self-driving electric trucks and fleet vehicles. If the Trump administration continues to govern as poorly as it has been for the next three years, I feel that by 2022 America will start experiencing a serious brain drain as companies move overseas and take their workforce with them. China will continue to be a rising power for technology and commerce, with India possibly following in its wake.
By 2032, humanity will have finally realized that we can’t ignore climate change any further. Drastic weather events will have made the point far more eloquently than any PR campaign. Coastal regions will be taking serious action to avoid the rising ocean. Some places will modify, others will be abandoned. The resulting climate refugees that flood into safer areas will strain resources and tensions. I worry about the conflicts that will result from the exodus. For example, if Taiwan suddenly has to abandon ship and move to mainland China, America will get caught up in the crosshairs of defending an ally while also allowing China to maintain sovereignty. As nations struggle to cope with civil issues, we will also be dealing with food supply problems caused by drought, fire, and flood. First-world countries will have to rethink their standards about food availability and affordability. J.H. 2017 |
| Unfortunately, humans are selfish and lazy. At the rate we are currently moving, and the unnecessary need for self driving cars, I believe that in five years we will in fact have at least self driving buses. Humans constantly want bigger and better and we have made way more advances in the last ten years than we have in the last one hundred. Humans are also rather vain, with that being said, I believe that by 2032, scientists will have discovered a simple, not invasive way to make ourselves appear how we wish to appear, by a simple medical procedure. It is scary to think where we will be by 2050, but I think it is safe to assume that technology will not have “taken over,” but it will have taken over aspects of our lives, such as communicating with each other or even having the need to leave the house. As I have previously said, I am all for technological advances if they are for the greater good of society and help us be healthier and more aware of diseases, but not if they are for vain reasons that allow us to be lazy and not live for ourselves.
S.S. 2017 |
| Flying cars, duh.
In five years, things will be mostly similar. Internet of Things will be more popular, and a majority of people with have “smart” appliances in their homes, whether it be smart light bulbs, garage doors, locks, video cameras, etc. Hopefully we are going to Mars within a year or two. Hopefully I have paid off all my college loans and have a well paying cool job. In 15 years, I’ll be 36. At this time, I imagine things will look quite a bit different, think 2001 to 2017. Computers the size of tablets will be about as powerful as gaming PCs are in 2017. Bendable/foldable displays will be common. Wild prediction is flip phones make a comeback. The Motorola Razr 2.0 is born. Everything is connected, IoT is a standard day to day thing. Autonomous cars are becoming normal. Electric cars have been normal for 5 years. Hopefully they have a cure for hangovers. There has been two manned trips to Mars. Private space travel is a thing. AI is becoming common and more advanced, becoming a part of everyday life. Maybe I’ll have moved up into management in my career. In the middle of the century, I’ll be 54. They really better have found a cure to hangovers by then or else I’ll be disappointed. There will be a permanent base on Mars, most likely the Moon too. Space travel is common, most people have gone into space at least once. I don’t even want to talk about computers and IT even though that is my level of expertise because I’ll most likely be way off. I figure we have a supercomputer more powerful than the brain by this point, even two or three times more powerful. AI is incredibly common and becoming extremely advanced. AIDS is cured, there are cures for certain types of cancer, and augmentations are common, such as smart contact lenses. I’ll get LASIK back in 2019 and end up still having to wear contacts, but at least now I have a cool artificial reality experience going on. Heck, maybe we just have a chip planted in our skull wired in someway to accomplish the same thing. Prosthetic limbs are the same as natural limbs. If dreams do come true I’m Chief Technical Officer of a Fortune 100 company and can afford all the cool new stuff. C.N. 2017 |
| It’s obvious that as a race we have increased our technological advancements exponentially in the past 100 years or so. The question is where will be in 5 years? How about fifteen years? Finally, how about in the middle of the century? I will discuss where I think we could be in these time intervals in respect to space/air travel.
By about 2022, I think we will be close to departing for Mars. I doubt we will actually get there by 2022, but I think we will be getting ready, and will probably be there by the mid to late 2020’s. I think air travel will be practically the same as it is today, with very efficient aircraft with reliable engines, and likely no flying cars. In 2032, I think we will have already reached Mars and will likely have some sort of a lunar base. Travel between Earth and the Moon will likely be very easy, and will be somewhat routine. I think by 2032 our air travel on Earth will be very automated, with the pilot basically in the cockpit just to watch and make sure things go smoothly. By 2050, I believe we will be able to reach different parts of the globe in just minutes. A hypersonic aircraft leave its origin, climb into earth’s orbit, and descend back to Earth to reach its destination. A flight from Dubai to San Francisco in the year 2050 could take about 20 minutes or so. I don’t think completely all air travel will be like this, but it will start to become common. By 2050 we may also have a Martian outpost. Research will likely be done here, and we will have astronauts continually going to and from Mars. To achieve this, by the year 2050 we will likely have a spacecraft that can travel much quicker than our current capabilities, and will reach outer distances like Mars and the Moon safely, and very reliably. I may be completely wrong in these predictions, because as a people we are slow to change. It is fun to predict though how far our technology will advance in the near future. I think our means of travel will advance significantly in the coming decades, and this will help us reach far distances in a very short period of time. Even though it may seem like an eternity from now, the future will be here before you know it. B.R. 2017 |
| It becomes hard to tell, and the technological singularity starts to become more real the more I think about it. But not just with technology but information as a whole, whether it be literature or art. There’s just so much out there that even when we hold as much as we can, it seems there continues to grow more and more of it. Just think of how many good songs you just haven’t heard yet. That’s very small to the amount of information I’m trying to get at. The point is, I guess, that as we grow into the future there will be so much new science and technology that as connected as you are, you start to find yourself in a little corner of the web. And this has a lot to do with media trafficking coming from sites or apps that we use like Facebook that shows you what it thinks you want to see. Then your view of the world has the potential to easily get very filtered, even though there’s so much more out there. So unimaginable opportunities that will be available in the future, such as space travel to Mars, will start to become available but not attainable, and at the same time that’s okay because you’re satisfied with your corner of the world/web. In five years, I can see some things that we only imagined about start to pop up in technology that allows us to travel and connect more efficiently than what we have already built, such as jets or public transportation as buses or trains. I would think that the more medical advancements and/or gene modification will start to come after fifteen years after we start realizing that general medical care is important. But, I do think that in the next five years we will see a lot of new technology aiding our doctors, for example surgical robots. I would hope that in the next five years we start making advancements toward renewable energy, but by the looks of our current administration, it may take fifteen years to start implementing. But, by fifteen years I would also hope other forms of energy such as nuclear would be more researched. And, understanding that 2050 is another whole lifetime for me, plus more, I’m not sure if I have the life experience to have a well estimated guess. But I do hope to see people on Mars by then, I think an expansion into outer space will not only de-clutter our world a little bit, but expand connections across planets which could open up so much more imagination and creation that I think will benefit the minds of future generations to only expand even farther.
M.N. 2017 |
| Science and technology in the coming years is going to be filled with things that we can’t even image. Within 5 years, robots will be increasingly autonomous though not fully. AI will have gone further than we expected but again, not as far we may think. We will possibly have sent another manned mission to the moon and better probes to Mars. it is entirely possible that humanity could be destroyed or severely lessened in size by then too. Though that could be said for anytime that there is the current administration and it’s similar like-minded governments. Within 30 years, transhumans will not be superior, they will, however, be more common in a way that is non-stigmatized. In 50 years, our world and technology will be completely unrecognizable. I am looking forward to the ability to get rid of the gene mutation that my mom has that caused her chance of getting breast cancer to sky rocket to over 50%, the same gene modification that I could have or my children could have. I hope that the world in which we live in 50 years is far superior to the one we live in now. I am cautiously optimistic.
P.H. 2017 |
| Overall, I do not believe space research will experience much advancement by the middle of the century. The popular interest in space has faded, and its utilitarian value is minimal compared to many other research fields. Meanwhile, the urgency and relevance of other research fields, such as climate change, gene modification, and AI development, have garnered widespread attention from both the scientific community and the general public.
5 years: Climate change research will continue to expand. Much of the research at this point will still be dedicated to investigating impacts on human and non-human life as it is today. Another dominant area of research will be development of alternative energy technologies. Alternative energy resources will become more easily accessible to the public resulting in wider use. Despite progress made through the Paris Agreement, actual policy changes to meet necessary goals will be limited. In the area of human enhancement, medical research will still be largely focused on reinforcing socially accepted norms for optimal health. Research into developing technologies in the range of trans- or post-human capabilities will still be fringe area of research. AI and information technologies will continue to develop rapidly. 15 years: Climate change research will still have a large focus on predicting impacts, but the attention given to mitigation strategies will be greater as more people come to realize the reality of climate change. There will still be push-back from climate change deniers, but their influence will have shrunk in the next 15 years. More policy changes will have occurred to mitigate climate change impacts, but still not enough. In 15 years, medicine will likely still be dedicated to developing treatments for conditions that have yet to be eliminated. Concerns about the potential dangers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria will receive more attention from a global audience. AI at this point will have advanced so quickly that it is impossible to predict what form it may take in 15 years. Middle of the Century: Many of the problems that we are only beginning to understand now, including climate change, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and dangers of AI, will be much more visible threats. Climate change research will shift strongly toward adaptation strategies as more populations around the world experience the strong effects of climate change and work to create temporary solutions for immediate problems. Reliance on fossil fuels will be reduced significantly. Most of the biodiversity that exists today will be extinct. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria will affect large groups of people attracting world-wide attention and calls to action. However, strategies for potential solutions will not be able to prevent widespread human deaths to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The previous predictions are made under the assumption AI has not taken control of the planet or killed humanity completely by the middle of the century. I predict the field of AI will be the fastest growing field of research experiencing exponential advancement. Even in 15 years, I cannot imagine what AI will look like. By mid-century, I expect AI will have dramatically changed human society if not eliminating it completely. J.T. 2017 |
| I believe that the in the future we will definitely see advancements in science and technology. However, I believe that society may actually embrace more traditional social views, at least in the next five years. There is an online rebellion against more progressive liberal views and political correct culture. Egalitarianism is a growing movement that I believe will become more mainstream. I believe, that in the next five years, technology will see advancements in already existing discoveries. Faster computers, phones replaced with improved Apple watches and Smart watches, virtual reality games will gain popularity and improve, and we will see a manned space fight from a privately owned company. Science will see improved genetic coding, but we won’t see anything the general public will find dramatic. In fifteen years, I believe that society will see a new appreciation for science and technology. I think that science and research will have a direct effect on political and social views, replacing the current emphasis on feelings and morals. In technology, I believe that the wealthy will already be paying for space flights and there will be a breakthrough in light speed or warp technology, that will lead to new research. Science will see genetic coding that will make a dramatic change to a large animal, and I believe we will have an improved treatment for cancer. By the middle of the century, society will still embrace a science centric view, but I think their will be a major social shift that is a drastically different reinterpretation of ideas and politics that we’ve seen in the past. Maybe, Libertarianism will become a major party and take over as one of the big two. Technology will see a colony on Mars, there will be a vacation resort on the Moon, virtual reality will be common in gaming; surrounding you in the game, we will have communication devices in our bodies and will access the internet in our minds, we might have some early prototypes of light speed or warp technology. Science will see major improvements in prosthetics; fully articulate hands, arms, feet, and legs. Aging will be greatly reduced, extending our lives by at least 25 years and making us look far younger, maybe through gene therapy. Genetic coding will be used to improve the health of newborns and maybe even make humans stronger, smarter, and more agile.
A.W. 2017 |
| In five years I think that the changes in technology will be slow and somewhat unnoticeable to someone who is college age now. We are up to date with new technologies but in five years we will not be old enough to be out of date with those technologies. I think that as far as human enhancement go, the people who decide to change themselves will be few and far between. I think people who go to extremes to change their appearance by means of plastic surgery will still be the exception. I would hope that science will become more advanced in the use of stem cells curing diseases. I just read a really awesome article about someone being paralyzed for ten years from waist down was getting a stem cell treatment and was starting to get feelings in his legs again.
In 15 years I think that people who modify their appearances will become more common. I think that as a society we will be way more comfortable with having zero privacy. I see the medical field changing drastically. I think that by 15 years we will have specific treatments designed to treat exactly what is wrong with us. I think the way we identify ourselves and our health will be through our genome. In 2050, I think that humans may look different. Maybe not our actually characteristics at birth, but I think that we will be modifying our bodies so that we do not exactly look like we do now. I think that modifying our bodies will be commonplace. I think that disease will be treated by editing our genes and that when treating something like cancer, the exact profile of cancer will be identified and personalized treatments will be made for that specific cancer’s DNA. I think that our society, granted there is no giant economic collapse will continue into the Information Revolution full force. I think that as a society we will be more connected than ever, by knowing everything about everyone else, without actually having any interactions with each other (oh wait, that already happens). I think our middle class with be gone and potentially a new class system will start to be in place. L.W. 2017 |
| In the future, I believe we have quite a challenge ahead of us due to climate change and our current resistance to it. In five years, I believe we will be in about the same place we were in 2016, when Barack Obama left office. Donald Trump being president will set us back significantly. In fifteen years, I would hope that we will have realized that climate change is an imminent threat and will have begun to take steps in order to reduce our carbon emissions, as well as bring down our overall temperature increase to 1 C or so. However, if the Republican party remains in office, I don’t see this getting better, as the 1% of the richest will remain in power, and the divide between the upper class and everyone else will continue to grow. By the middle of the century, if we have not made progress on climate change, there will be food shortages, rising sea levels, and a good amount of chaos for the average human. The United States will not be affected as quickly nor as much as poorer countries, but the longer we go without change the more catastrophic the results will be. On the other end of the spectrum, I believe our human enhancement technology will only improve from here, despite potential cuts to research with this administration. CRISPR will become a common technology used to cut unwanted genes, and there will be more and more cures and treatments for diseases. In another fifteen years, I think there is potential for a wide range of cures for cancer, with fewer deaths than now. Hopefully Alzheimer’s will also have better treatment. Unfortunately, I feel as though if the Republican party remains in power the overall advancement of society will be less than it could have been otherwise. Thanks, Donald.
C.K. |
| In the course of five years, technology will increase to the point of bigger but lighter forms of computers. Look at how mp3 players/cell phones and laptops cycle of creation since the early 2000s. For example the cell phones. Cell phones used to be very bulky and small. The introduction of the Motorola Razr, allowed a light and smaller phone which was reciprocated by many cell phones. The smart phone era came and brought small but powerful phones. The iPhone and Samsung phones started as small and heavier phones, over the next ten years the screens have gotten bigger, but the phone has gotten lighter and increased processing power. Now with creations of the Samsung Note, phones are now bulky, big, but lighter than their predecessors and ancestors. The cross between phones, and tablets in regards to laptop computers have become very blurred. People are able to do a lot of the aspects of a laptop on their phones and tablets. Soon there will be a product that finally combines all of these aspects, and will diminish the need to have all three of these products.
The future has the potential to have many different effects in regards to how life will be. In the course of 15-20 years, gene therapy and modifications will be a leading factor in regards to cancer treatment. The study on gene therapy has been a controversial affair very recently due to the Jesse Gelsinger case, but looking outside of the case before, gene therapy has been successful in cancer research and treatment for some cancers such as Neuroblastoma, which the survival rate has increased dramatically in the past 20 years. As a Neuroblastoma patient who (at the time of diagnosis in 1997, was between 13-18%) placed into a early protocol and was the only survivor. The Gelsinger halted the creation of more studies. Neuroblastoma survival has reached almost 50%. The increase of these studies will allow for more treatment options across the board. J.C. 2017 |
| The future has always been something we all have theories about, in stories, in conversations, in our dreams, and even in movies. Sometimes when we think about the future we think about maybe a short term future timeline like where will you be in five years? Married? Have a career? Or when we theorize about the future we can think about five, fifteen, or a hundred years from now. It is something that is fun to theorize about for the most part unless we are fearful about what the future will come.
I personally do not think about what the future may hold too much now a days, when I was younger I thought about the typical “I want to be done with college, be married, buy a home, be able to give back to my parents for their sacrifices.” Now a days, being an Environmental Science major and with the current climate change issues we are facing having an administration like we now have in office is depressing. Cutting the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA being ran by someone who doesn’t even believe in climate change, at first all of this angers you to no end and then you become really afraid of our future especially if you think of your loved ones or of any future children you would like to have or of your futures nieces and nephews. But if I had to think of what it might look like, in five years in 2022 I feel we might not see a huge difference such as flying cars or moving to the planet Mars for example. But I do believe our society will drastically change, we are already seeing that there is just a huge divide in society at least here in the United States. I believe that we no longer will believe in democracy and it could be just a horrible time to live in, or in the opposite end we might get our stuff together by that time, begin to have conversations with one another, begin to treat our planet with respect and our generation will be more involved politically to make better change. Fifteen years by 2032 or by 2050 I feel like I can’t even begin to think about all the changes that can and probably will occur. All I can hope for is that they will be good changes that our future holds and to not only hope but make it part of my life to try to cause that change. C.S. 2017 |
| I imagine in the future that transhumanism will become accepted, as will a sort of positive eugenics as we have seen China pursue in the past few decades. I don’t see much changing in the next five years other than cool/scary new technologies from the information companies that are taking over the world. Google will get their glasses right finally and they will become very popular and become a part of everyday life. Fifteen years from now, after most of the baby boomers are gone, we will be doing wider experiments on gene editing that more people would be willing to participate in because the public will have accepted technology as a friend (their Google classes will subconsciously tell them that everyday). By the middle of the century the kooks like Max More will be running the world. Ted Williams will be raised from his frozen nitrogen, we will be able to significantly slow down aging through tissue repair and evolutionary discoveries about the way we should live our lives, and everyone will pick which genes make their babies look the most like the Kardashians.
R.S. 2017 |
| With how fast society and technology progresses, accurately predicting what the future holds is way out of my grasp. I can say, for a fact, that advancements in space, human modification, and possibly even climate change, will take place in the world. Within the next five years, I believe that society will send another manned mission to the moon, whether that be through a different country or through private enterprise. I think that self-driving interstate trucks will become more streamlined, and the trust of such technology will rise among citizens. I believe it is possible that we begin to make cystic fibrosis obsolete, and possible find actual cures for HIV and maybe even AIDS. I do not see climate advances occurring. Within the next fifteen years, I think manned missions to Mars will take place several times. We will discover more about our possible future home, and may even begin building bases on the moon. I think that human modification will become more commonplace for cosmetic means, maybe even as advanced as gender selection pre-pregnancy, aesthetic features in fetuses and maybe even live children, as well as more advancements in disease removal. I feel like wearable technology will become the norm, and everyone will be using computers/technology directly attached to our bodies. On that note, I think robotic prosthetic that can “connect” to the nervous system and obey commands as such will be invented and distributed for steep costs. It is possible small advances in climate change occur, such as world-wide legislation or some sort of carbon tax. Last, by the middle of the century, I feel like we will see a Lanier’s Prevail take place. I think that transhumanism will be able to make many sicknesses and diseases we see frequently today obsolete, of course opening a whole new “can of worms” for new disorders and diseases to plague society. I feel that driverless cars will be the only kinds of cars allowed on most roads. I believe that commercial trips to outer space, and possibly even the moon, will become commonplace and inexpensive compared to today. And still, I feel that climate change advances will be slow and might I say, pointless.
A.P. 2017 |
| It is often said that scientific and technological growth expand exponentially over time. It can be difficult to predict future development precisely, but an estimation can give us a good idea in what direction we as a society are moving towards. In the next 5 years we can expect to see our transportation methods radically transformed in the form of autonomous vehicles, our medical field revolutionized with precise gene editing using zinc finger nucleases and CRISPR, and the switch to blockchain technology in many different industries. Autonomous cars promise to reduced vehicular collisions, decrease traffic collision and uproot industries such as taxi service, truck drivers, insurance, hotels etc. The implementation and ability to manufacture affordable autonomous vehicles will be important in launching this new industry. CRISPR is a field with immense potential as well as ethical risks associated with its use. Gene editing using the zinc finger nucleases has already been tried out on an adult human male. Signs of whether the procedure was successful are due out very soon and the success or failure of this bears significant weight on the future of this industry. Blockchain is the new buzzword/technology that is very intriguing and we are in the infancy of its usage. It is a new type of encryption that uses distributed databases that are shared across multiple computers that are part of a large community. Its potential is that it has the ability to reduce the possibility of security breaches by even its own operators and eliminate fraud and corruption. The foundation of this technology is cryptography and game theory intermixed. This will change supply chain management, banking, cloud storage, transaction processing, voting and countless other industries. Looking 15 years down the line becomes blurrier. We can expect to see implanted computers in our body that vastly improve our mental power. Revolutionary rapid transportation such as the Hyperloop should be completed before 2032 allowing us to travel far distances in short amount of time. Wealthy individuals will be able to buy a trip to planets such as Mars and potentially colonize a new planet. Forecasting middle of the century technological and scientific growths is even more difficult. Predicting a future where the technology of that day has potentially not even been invented is impossible. One would hope that diseases and viruses will be completely cured by this time but time will tell. Nanotechnology is something that is so new that we are not sure what will come of it. Some forecast that we will be able to change a couch into a diamond and abundant food for the poor. A more realistic opportunity is to have nanorobots in our body checking for medical ailments and catching them before they start. The future of this world seems limitless and vast. It should be our goal as humans to advance society in a way that does not harm humans and our planet, but instead propels us forward as a society.
A.M. 2017 |
| With respect to science, technology, and society 2022 is not that far away. The only thing as of right now I can think about that I could see, as an issue in 2022 is something to do with net neutrality act. With the Internet being a tool of globalization and interconnectedness, taking it away would destroy the way our society connects with each other in the world. It bothers me how corrupt our world has become. Our world has become selfish. The only thing people are concerned about is money and how much money people can make. Getting rid of the internet or adding a price makes things more difficult for society. I think about college. The University of Nevada, Reno is a research based college, most of what our college does is research. Research is done out in the field or on the Internet. Taking away peoples’ ability to research takes away the money of hardworking individuals. But I know for sure that in 2032 life will be a little different than it is today. With respect to technology, technology will have taken our society to a whole new level. For example coming from a teacher, technology will allow me to teach a classroom from the comfort of my home. Students might be able to Skype or face time while taking a classroom. More education will be available online. The atmosphere of school will change. Teachers will not be such a high demand anymore. With respect to technology, science, and society 2050 will be much different. I think as a society we will have gotten back to the moon and have set up some sort of building on the moon. Anything is possible. I think it just takes a little bit of motivation. I think we have the brain power and the people to get us back to moon again.
S.B. 2017 |
| The world is in an interesting point in many aspects right now. In terms of science in 2022 I believe we will be recovering from what is occurring right now. Science is being attacked in politics and misunderstood by the public, in the next five years the science community will be working to bridge the gap between the science community and others and 2022 will be the point where I think the work will finally show and decisions will be more science based in society. I think the private space sector will be successful in the next five years, not quiet to the moon again but successful flights for sure. In 2032 we will have returned to the moon, and the planet will be furiously fighting climate change, I believe in the next 15 years that climate change will finally be accepted and action will be occurring. Tesla and other electric cars will dominate and I think more people will travel more consciously. I think we will see an electric pick-up truck as well. I think we will have at least a better understanding of the prominent diseases being studied and I think that due to the science being better communicated I believe that we will be moving forward in medicine. Now in 2050 society will be entirely different. I think we will go back to technology being small and compact, however with even more applications. I think our health will better than ever, with total control on knowing what is going on with our bodies at all times. Our food supply will have shifted to smaller and locally produced food; some of these will be modified for more nutrients and higher yield. Society will have started the shift to more logical choices that impact out climate. On Mars there will be tests going on to see if life can truly colonize successfully. Now all of this is dependent on society avoiding nuclear war in the next five years.
R.A. 2017 |
| In 2022, Donald Trump will no longer be president and all will be right with the world again. He still doesn’t believe in climate change and has just tweeted “It’s freezing and snowing in New York–we need global warming!” Elizabeth Warren is president and allocates millions of dollars to solving climate change and especially in educating the public on the difference between climate and weather. In 2032, the majority of people now believe climate change is real due to the continually increasing global temperatures and education on the difference between climate and weather. Scientists will begin proposing many different options for climate engineering. More research has gone into trying to find a planetary body that can sustain life just in case we destroy this planet. In 2050, humans will have gone extinct. The proposals scientists were making weren’t good enough to fix what we did to the planet and we all died. Alternate ending, Sophia the Robot murders everyone and takes over the planet by 2022 (Joy’s Hell).
V.M. 2017 |
| Within 5 years, I don’t believe that there will be huge changes, however, I can say that technology will continue to become more convenient for humans — i.e., smaller, more apparent, and more easily available. I am hoping that there will be further technologies in renewable energies within the United States, and the world, in order to combat the issues with climate change.
Within 15 years, technologies for the medical field will need to increase due to how bacteria has continuously become more immune to antibiotics. However, there will also be technologies for people to choose certain traits for the children while they are still an embryo — gene modification. This technology of gene modification will still not necessarily be considered a norm, however, it will be more apparent than it is today; as for the traits that the parents are choosing, they’re nothing life-changing such as mental abilities, they would just be physical characteristics such as eye color. By the middle of the century, I am expecting that space travel for the ordinary man will be much more apparent; I think this will be due to how climate change has been on the rise and drastically changing the landscapes and decreasing food supplies. I’m hoping this won’t be true, however, in the more impoverished countries I’m expecting there to be resource wars. Since the resources are on the decline, middle to upper class individuals may have the ability to start inhabiting other planets; this seems far-fetched, however, there has been research on this for a while so there is a possibility that the technology and research will increase significantly on this subject within ~30 years. J.R. 2017 |
| I think that technology and science will continue to work hand in hand. Within the next 5-15 years, I think gene modification will continue to advance. Hopefully, it will advance in a positive direction that allows for the prevention of diseases with future generations. I think medicine will continue to grow and will be more reliant on technology. Perhaps within the next 15 years there will be an advancement in the prevention of cancers and even a more successful form of treatment. Perhaps there may even be a new treatment for blood loss besides blood transfusions, since blood has a short shelf life. I believe that society is going to continue to grow with technology and rely more heavily on it, which I feel is unfortunate. I think technology will take over society by the middle of the century. It might be hard to find those who just enjoy being outside or have a nice balance with the approach of technology. I hope that in the future science is able to understand more of how the brain works and functions so that it could possibly understand, prevent and maybe even treat Alzheimers. Hopefully technology and society can work to establish more third world countries with the proper life necessities that aren’t so hard to attain, for example find easier ways to get drinkable water or access to facilities to treat diseases or illnesses that could be easily treatable with the proper equipment and access to medicine. Currently, there are a lot of new ground breaking researches being done in regards to healthcare and I see a lot of the future continuing to focus on providing the means to having a healthy life.
T.M. 2017 |
| The future is a mysterious place where we are able to dream of what it holds. Just as people have done for over a century here we are going to get our hopes up for the future and in the end it won’t be as cool as we dreamt. In 5 years, we will hopefully have changed our perspectives on climate change and are working towards a sustainable solution. This can have hope because there is a chance that the US will have a new president which will push us out of our isolationist state. Our knowledge of the consequences in relation to technological advancements would hopefully be in progression. In addition to this society will hopefully be more community centered in a way of equity. In 15 years my dreams predict that we are working towards new scientific goals and have combated climate change in a way in which we have made it our daily process. I also think that we as a society will turn to understanding space and the creation of the solar system. This can be complete by maybe finding out what happened the the water on mars and why did the storm on jupiter hasn’t stopped in 150 years. The year is 2050, and we are all transporting by solar flying cars. The Human enhancement questions and sides have been resolved in a way that everyone is happy with the agreement. Climate change is distant memory and we are a more developed and sustainable society and world. As you can tell I too have put high hopes in what the future brings just like people did 100 years ago. I am  looking towards a better tomorrow.
A.S. 2017 |
|    The future in respects to 10 years from now will be a little different than it is today. We will see intellectual property become very important because of all the new coding and design that is being done. Now that net neutrality got diminished, we will have to pay extra for premium services, or wait in a slow lane to access the same content. In a way knowledge will start to becoming limiting because of net neutrality rules. The internet service provider (ISP) can charge people for services and one of these things will be information and knowledge. Human gene editing will start to become more reliable and come with less side effects and will be available to the public within the next 10 years. Human enhancement will start be become more popular with the rise of virtual reality and google glasses, there will be soon be places to go for virtual reality interaction with other people participating.Â
   In 15 years from now, we will see AI becoming a part of our everyday life. For the wealthy there will be AI robots that will take care of household chores like cleaning, yard work and day care services and other duties around the house that would normally involve hiring a service to do them. There will be a great divide between the wealth classes and the top 20% will virtually own and run everything. The big financial companies will be tech and tech manufacturing companies because of the exponential demand for technology products. Most of the lower class jobs that include labor will be replaced by machines. The lower class will find jobs working for the giant tech companies that manufacture and design all the AI and other tech products. Medicine will be very advanced to where we will stop the aging process and be able to choose what our offspring looks like.    By the middle of the century we will be relying completely on AI technology. This technology will make it possible for colonization of a new planet for humans and other space exploration. At this point the earth will be pretty polluted and mined for a lot of its natural resources so we will turn to deep ocean and asteroid mining. The use for the internet will be outdated and new central sources of data will be created for people to be able to download whatever they want on a virtual reality type of glasses. Some people will have human enhancement by implanting chips that you will be able to download any and all information available there is out there. People will have face recognizing technology in their glasses or eyes if they are post human. Privacy is no longer a thing, any piece of technology will be monitored for illegal activities and will be hooked up to a central server that is run by AI and programmed to look for illegal activities. H.B. 2017 |
| Five years from now we would probably lose more human abilities to accomplish the basic of tasks. There isn’t a need to vacuum your own house anymore as they have built a robot to do so. Mincing carrots can be done via by food processor. Just the basic tasks humans can do are already slowly being replaced by technology, five years from now, we’ll only lose more.
Fifteen years we’ll all have electric cars. Tesla is already creating or have created, a car where we can just sleep and the car can be on autopilot. Fifty years from now we might probably have holograms. Instead of Facetiming family members and friends, we could step into a full body machine and a hologram of ourselves will show up at our families location. A.L. 2017 |
| The future is always changing. Many people have tried to portray what the future might entail with our science, technology, and society. Though it is very difficult to know exactly what the future may entail. Artists from 1800s drew pictures of what technology would look like in the future. They predicted that we would have a device to be able to view the other person similar to Skype. In the 2nd Back To The Future movie, they predicted that car engines would run on disposable garbage to power for gas. They also assumed we would have hover boards that float above the ground. Â Today we do not have boards that hover above the ground, instead we have the horrific accident of a Segway without the handles to it. In 2022, I believe we will hopefully create more environmental friendly energy sources. Though looking at it now, I feel we will most likely digress in advancements of technology due to the lack of inspiration. In 2032, we will still have cars that remain on the ground.
In 2052, I believe the world will have a technology overload where all electronics will crash. We will revert back to our ancestors before we had the creation of electronics. I believe this way because we have not made a lot of advancements in indestructible products since the Space Race. Corney Ware was created from rocket cones to be indestructible dinner plates. They were well built, that no one wanted to buy any new products from that company. The company ended up being bankrupt. Ultimately, the creation of newer technologies will lead to valuable skills being lost. C.M. 2017 |
| In five to fifteen years I expect Nuclear Power to become significantly bigger in scope, especially in policy and reactor desing. Maybe even useful Fusion by 2050. I expect a man to be sent to Mars around 20 years out, however I wouldn’t get my hopes up for an actual human habitat, even by 2050. I imagine gene editing will be used to cure people in 15 years, and more unrestricted by 2050. I also think that nanotechnology will begin to make leaps and bounds around 2040. I expect renewable energy to continue doing its thing, as that’s where the money is. Also, self driving cars are on the way, probably not in 5 years, but 15 wouldn’t surprise me. I expect a few vaccines for the most headline grabbing diseases in between now and 2050, and I really hope that the anti vaxxer thing has ran it’s course by that point.
R.N. 2017 |
| 2022: We will be rid of Donald J. Trump. Society will move toward more wide sweeping liberalism, and things like healthcare will become socialized, along with developing a basic universal income as more machines take over minimum-wage jobs. Between 2022 and 2032, the “college bubble” will collapse. Most colleges will become free, and almost all non-automated jobs will require a degree of some kind. Starting around 2032, I agree with Michio Kaku that Moore’s law will end, and we will reach the end of our computing power. In this decade, as gene editing gets more advanced, telomeres will be able to be repaired, or shortened, lengthening the human life span. Along with humanity having a longer life span, population decisions will have to be made. With most places well into the 5th stage of population development, not many people will have children (or will wait until longer in their lengthened lives) or the telomere treatments will have to be severely limited to halt over population.Â
By 2050, all the developments covered in 2022 and 2032 will be part of daily life, much like the internet and smart phones are now. K.M. 2017 |
| In (2022) I think that there will be significant advancements in technology especially in regards to robotics. This year was the first to have a robot citizen and I think that wealthy will start to use robots more, especially with an increase in manual labor. Kind of how tractors and machines replaced a lot of manual labor.
By 2032 and 2050 I actually think that technology will digress. I don’t see the nations coming together to help stop climate change and I see that in 15 years some countries will start to war there will be more refugees and not enough food. By 2050 I think that even large countries like America will be more focused on boarder protection and food supply over spending money on technological advancements. A.B. 2017 |
| The future holds an infinite number of possible outcomes. They can vary anywhere from a technologically advanced utopia to a resource war or disease-stricken dystopia. There is no definite say on how the future will result, but predictions can be made. In five years from now (2022), I believe there would not be too much dramatic change in respect to science, technology, and society. It is most likely that in five years current technology (e.g. solar power, electric cars) will be more accessible to people. There would also be more advances in today’s cloning and gene research. In fifteen years from now (2032) there is greater chance of new technology. People would be more environmentally conscious. There would be more technology that is environmentally focused. In the middle century (2050) technology would be more integrated with the human body. I think people will be a lot more connected with technology in the literal sense that it will be a part of the human body, for example, artificial robotic limbs. We would also be less dependent on fossil fuels. Commercial space travel is also a possibility if the Space X project and others like it is successful.
J.E.L. 2017 |
| In regards to human enhancement, here is what I think the future may hold in respect to science, technology, and society:
In 5 years (2022): Genetic modification will have been experimented further, but society will not be ready to accept it as a realistic and moral option in regards to gene mutations. Technologies will be further advanced, Sophia (AI) will have a child and there will be more AI citizens. They will be fighting to gain all rights as humans, but not fully there yet. In 15 years (2032): Genetic modification will finally be breaking grounds and getting more positive responses from society as a whole, a step on the path that Transhumanists have fought for. New technologies will have allowed for some successful genetic modifications to treat different genetic mutations such as cystic fibrosis. It will not yet be mastered, though. There will still be a group that opposes genetic modification, but the majority will have accepted it as inevitable at this point. AIs will have been considered humans or given the exact same rights legally, opening the door for a permanent new “race” (?) in society. Society is scared. They may take over, so they must comply to their demands. Transhumanism will be widely accepted in the medical field to treat various issues such as organ failure (replace with artificial organs). The technologies are much further advanced at this point allowing for even more experimentation with how we can further modify the human body to immortality. In the middle of the century (2050): The AIs have taken the human race as their slaves. The upper class is all AIs and the human race, or what is left of it has taken shelter primarily in the lower-middle class, working jobs for the AIs. Donald Trump was the first to be assassinated by the new race, an obvious way to claim their new throne. All humans, or transhumans, with artificial body parts are synced to obey the AIs every order, acting as their army. The world looks like Bikini Bottom did when Plankton controlled everyone’s brains through his Chum Bucket hats. Civilization is at stake as we know it. In all seriousness, I don’t have any idea what the middle of the century may hold with respect to science, technology, and society. I am surprised with how far technology has advanced already during my 21 years on earth. When I was born, an genetic modification was almost unimaginable, and it is already real and has been experimented with. Technology surprises me every day. Science has advanced along with technology, working together to improve and protect the human experience more than I could have ever predicted during just my short lifetime so far. Society has always been fearful of what effects these new technologies and scientific discoveries may have, but at some point, it eventually ends up accepting the inevitability of these advancements. I don’t think that is a pattern that will change. Who knows what the world will look like in 2050, maybe our carbon footprint as a whole will prevent us from even reaching 2050, but this class has taught me to look at these larger aspects of life differently. Science, technology, and society interact together and move forward with society, sometimes at an alarming rate. The advancement of each of these things is inevitable, but there are practical concerns that need to be addressed so that science, technology, and society can advance safely. D.P. 2017 |
| In five years, I think that we will see a significant increase in solar energy usage. This is because we currently already have the technology to create more “attractive” solar panels.  It is a thin, clear substance that can cover all windows and generate energy. In my opinion, the two major reasons why solar panels haven’t become widespread are because they are costly and inconvenient in both size and appearance. As long as society can find a way to produce this new solar material cost-effectively, I do not see a reason why it would not become a huge hit in the next five years or so. I also think that the effects of climate change will motivate people to start using technologies such as this one to get their energy. In five years, I also think that it will be a norm in society to own things like Apple watches. As time goes on, it seems like society gets more and more attached to constant communication. Gadgets that you can “wear” and communicate with will most likely take over.
In 15 years, I think that paper money will be nearly obsolete. While credit cards will still be commonly used, I think that phone apps like Venmo will be the main cause for eliminating cash completely. More and more retailers will most likely start accepting Venmo transfers as a form of payment. I also think that driverless cars will make a breakthrough in the next 15 years. The reason why I think this is because companies have recently found a way to test these cars virtually instead of on the streets. This allows for much more extensive and safer testing to be done. In 50 years, I think that artificial intelligence will take over a lot of jobs that currently can only be performed by humans. This is because AIs are becoming more and more human-like and personable. Instead of just doing one simple robot-like task, current AIs can hold full-on conversations and seemingly form strong opinions about things. When Saudi Arabia recently gave citizenship to an AI for the first time in all of history, this was not just to be funny. In interviews with the AI, she has her own opinions and can hold an entire conversation, just like a human citizen. For these reasons, I think that the next 50 years will see an abundance of jobs that require personable human-like skills taken over by AIs. D.B. 2017 |
| Happy Holidays! |
| In five years I think we will see more of a prevalence in gene editing technologies for therapeutic uses. I think the technology is at a point where human trials will become more frequent with a slow rollout. Automation of cars in the next five years will continue to increase. I think full automation won’t be standard until the fifteen-year mark and it won’t be commonplace until 2050. Cars take time to trickle down in society. By 2032 we will probably see more ride sharing especially if early automation technologies are rolling out, cities will likely be early adopters. In the next fifteen years I expect energy infrastructure to begin localizing their utility, utilizing battery storage and providing an even more reliable service. In fifteen years I think lab grown organs will be commonly used for patients who need them. The organ donor list will be all but a thing of the past by the middle of the century. I think a drone technology national emergency system will be deployed by the 2030’s. These drones will be able to aid areas impacted by natural disasters by delivering supplies and surveying the area for damage and areas worst impacted. I am hopeful that we will permanently return to the moon by the 2030’s and do considerably more research on Mars but I don’t think we will attempt to go to Mars until the 2050’s. Climate change by 2050 will be noticeable and we will see the greatest effects on ocean cities. Significant engineering efforts will be deployed to reduce the impact of rising oceans. Major seasonal hurricanes will be a way of life by 2030 for the gulf states and water shortages will have caused civil distress in area that are drought stricken today. While the future will bring great new technologies and automation there will be a whole new set of problem that we can’t even imagine today, but I am optimistic that humanity will prevail.
T.H. 2017 |
| I think the future holds a lot of uncertainty. One of the most interesting philosophies I currently started listening too, is one that suggest that human beings need some kind of suffering to make their lives meaningful. Today, society appraises comfort and ease above all else. In 2022, we may have robot counterparts to help us complete all remedial tasks in the race for efficiency. Rather than deal with the harshness of reality, we escape to our virtual havens of informational isolation. We’ll be richer, smarter, and more comfortable than any society before us, even with the widening gap in wealth. This comfort that we are unwilling to give up or mitigate in the face of climate change, will then become our downfall. In 2032, sea life will begin to suffer and the storms that once only threatened the livelihoods of a few will begin to effect many more. The consequences of our depreciation of our environment and our resources in favor of the virtual comforts will lead to conflict, as the industrial countries are blamed. The first Mars expedition will probably be launched, and people unwilling to give up the current societal norm in face of its consequences will take refuge on distant colonies. In 2050, climate change ravages parts of the world and those who had the technology and resources still available for even modest geoengineering will be unwilling to do so for risk of endangering a lifestyle. Instead funds and effort to shipped off world to Mars as we try to create a new habitable planet and start fresh, using our same old habits. Technology we only dream of today would become so ingrained that its removal would kill most the worlds population. The singularity comes about, but not as killer robots, but as a dependence and a necessity to the virtual world that some become so detached from the ever present reality, that nothing goes to stop the plundering and war outside as the refugees of locations unfit for human habitation have no choice but to fight for the dwindling resources. It’s a bleak view, but our current behaviors inspire nothing but in my mind. If we don’t take another look at our values and our effects on the future, they may not be much of a future to behold at all.
B.P. 2017 |
| * 2022
* Either the internet will continue growing openly and mostly free, or will be effectively capitalized: meaning it’ll be just like TV, and most of it’s openness & diversity will be deliberately blocked by ISPs and governments. * Amazing data mining, great for marketing and advertising, at a social cost: human interaction and socialization further turned into commodities. * Continued and perhaps complete loss of online privacy for users with little or no technical knowledge * Seriously: it’s already so prevalent among my generation. I try to keep my online privacy alive; but I’ve realized that I have to learn more technical things to continue having the same level of privacy as before; and social media is essentially the destroyer of privacy. * 2032 * self-driving cars everywhere! * I’ll be in my mid 30’s — hopefully I’ll be traveling and working, doing something fulfilling. Maybe be with a long-term partner, have no debt, etc. * 2050 * Majority of energy is derived from renewable sources; Huge revolution in energy industry (or, oil monopolies just replaced by other monopolies, i.e. same news, different story). * Effects of climate change more pronounced; serious efforts to address CC underway in the US. E.G. 2017 |