How is the world changing?

• Singularity--when computers become smarter than human beings--is such a dramatic change coming up?
• computers already win not only at chess but also at the less predictable game of Go
  
• communication--we will be more instantly interlinked with other people
• different technologies--telephone, television, computer, ... are blending together
  
• Everything is Miscellaneous--the nature of information handling has changed
• search has replaced logical organizing of information
• knowledge is less organizing into disciplines and more widely available
• an example of technology changing the way we think about the world around us
  
• medical breakthroughs--being able to replace systems that don't work
• environmental?
• space program

The space age as a prediction of the future

• why were people so enthusiastic in the 1960s?
• space race with the Russians--cold war
  
• powerful symbolic dream-visiting the moon--technology gives us the power to conquer everything we can see
• after the landing on the moon the American public lost interest in the space program
• we had met the goal
• what difference will it make on earth?  yes there are benefits, but they haven't changed our lives

• enthusiasts had a vision of space station, space shuttle, send people to Mars
• budget was cut because of lack of public support
• NASA saw the next step as making access to space needs to be cheaper and more routine
• didn't work--budget cuts, space is a difficult environment, astronauts and cargo in the same vehicle may have been the wrong choice
• so will outer space be a part of our future?
• will we go to Mars?--if space colonization is the goal, Mars is the best hope
• will the space program become only scientific research conducted by robots?
• will private companies take the lead instead of government organizations?--tourist hotels in orbit
• use space to solve problems on earth--collect solar power and beam it down to earth
  

Will we use new technology to keep the old social patterns?  Jetsons

• that isn't what has happened so far--we choose how we use new technologies, but eventually they tend to fit into social change
• what is the relationship between technological change and social change?
• in some cases social change creates a demand for new technologies
• does technological change cause social change?
• Nye: technology does not determine society
• new technology gives us new choices
  
• it is harder to predict how social patterns will change, but we might predict:
• more diversity in the life choices of men and women (less confined to stereotyped roles)
• more individualism encouraged in children (parents less controlling)
• more people give the answer "no religion" (discussion)

What can we learn from the past that will help us think about the future?

• society struggling to adapt to economic and technological change
• how can we make capitalism work better for more people?
  
• changes in how people see their economic opportunities have a big impact on how technological change happens
• attitudes towards change can change over time and make a difference
• we use technology in accordance with our values
• ask good questions about technology
  

Changes in population will affect social change

• more diverse population
• more people living longer

Can technology fix education?

• the cost of higher education needs to stop rising so fast
• is online education a solution?

What kind of world do we want to live in?

• individualism vs. community
• having things vs. enjoying nature
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