All too often we take an overly micro view of the world. We fail to see the long-term big picture, the light at the end of the tunnel. As I have already described, the ultimate goal of humanity is to achieve sustainable happiness. Technology allows us to do this. The world of the future could be a dramatically different place.
The resources we use will change profoundly. Paper, for centuries the bastion of information, is fast becoming obsolete. Computer technology, namely the Internet, will make it unnecessary for any information to have to be written or printed on a paper sheet. Books can be read on just about any device today, including e-readers such as the Kindle and Nook. Newspaper circulation is plummeting as most readers would prefer to read today’s news today, not yesterday’s. The postal service, already in dire straits financially, will likely cease to exist for the purposes of delivering the mail. Bills can be paid online, letters and cards sent by e-mail, and ads placed on websites and in videos.
It is not hard to envision a world in which students no longer carry textbooks or notebooks with them to class. Students everywhere will soon be bringing tablets with them, using them to take notes, read course materials, even complete assignments and take exams. Classrooms themselves are already transforming, as many have moved from the traditional “chalk and talk” routine to a multimedia Smartboard device.
CDs, Blu-ray discs, and game discs will quickly go by the wayside as media streaming through platforms like iTunes, Netflix and Steam continues to grow. I would not even be surprised if the phenomenon of scheduled television programming were to disappear, as audiences increasingly feel no need for their lives to revolve around a primetime slot.
The household will be completely transformed. Security systems will integrate fingerprint, voice recognition and retina scan technology, replacing the old lock-and-key method. Climate control could take the form of heated and cooled floors, walls, even furniture, along with voice controlled thermostats and humidity controls. The same can be said of kitchen appliances, entertainment systems, and lighting paraphernalia; in fact, many of these things will no longer be stand-alone products but rather integrated into the house itself. Ceilings, walls, and floors could become interactive screens, used to post messages, photos, videos and calendars at any time.
Cities will remain the centerpiece of society, with dramatic advances coming here as well. Megalopolises will be connected by high-speed rail technology. Vehicles will require no human driver, as sensors will remove the prior possibilities of human error. Also, all vehicles will be electric powered, fueled by a completely sustainable energy grid comprised of solar, wind, hydroelectric and even geothermal and tidal power where possible.
The most dramatic innovations will come in the labor-intensive fields, where modern robotics technology will literally transform the way we do business. Robotic machines will be able to produce almost every good from start to finish, whether it be resource extraction, factory production, or customer delivery. The idea of stores will be done away with, eliminating the need for sales clerks or managers.
Money will be transformed, and perhaps even eliminated. The weaning of society off coins will continue, to the point where they are only made for collecting purposes. All remaining cash transactions will quickly be replaced by cards, or a sooner leap will be made so that all money, tickets, boarding passes and whatever else can be carried around on a smart device like a phone or even a watch. In theory, even, the whole notion of monetary currency will become obsolete as the whole basis of its necessity, the division of labor, ceases to exist.
Food supplies will be secured by the extensive advances in biology and chemistry that continue to be made. Further research will truly determine the safety and long-term viability of genetic modification and DNA recombination. It is possible that infinite quantities of safe, sustainable food could be easily produced in the not-so-distant future.
Genetic research will also unlock the secrets of aging, disease, and cancer, and potentially allow us to exterminate these processes once and for all. Humanity will not be made immortal (at least not any time soon) but the lifespan and quality of life will both improve exponentially. Improvements in access to contraceptives and prophylactics will ease the potential strains of overpopulation, particularly in the currently developing regions of the world.
The post-labor world will not develop into a world like that portrayed in the movie WALL-E, where humanity becomes so lazy that they are unable to so much as walk. Instead, the lack of a need for human labor will lead to an unlocking of the collective mind. Individuals today use their leisure time primarily to entertain themselves, in an effort to relieve themselves of the stresses of a workforce-driven society. However, a society without work will allow the individual to pursue their own endeavor, whether that be artistic, scientific, intellectual, spiritual or philosophical. This will lead to compounding further advances in human achievement, potentially to the point of evolution into an entirely new species.
Although immense progress has already been made, dangerous obstacles remain. The astonishing concentration of wealth and power could completely undermine the whole process, as it would not permit the equitable distribution of the progress of mankind. For this reason, steps need to be taken to reduce the forces of inequality and oppression in the world today.
