Nothing Like They Envisioned

(Image from telegraphcrossfit.com)

Physicist and science writer Michio Kaku, on why predictions of the paperless office and the demise of business travel (in favor of teleconferencing) did not come to pass:

The Cave Man Principle: our wants, dreams, personalities, and desires have probably not changed much in 100,000 years. We probably still think like our caveman ancestors. -----Physics of the Future

We need to touch the hard copy and "don't trust the electrons floating in our computer screen." We glean more information from face-to-face encounters where we can read body language, and, as long as it's not uncomfortable, will pay a steep price to go to live concerts and athletic events.

But scientific advancement doesn't bring only sweetness and enlightenment:

Unless we change our basic personality, we can expect that the power of entertainment, tabloid gossip, and social networking will increase, not decrease, in the future.

Technology magnifies the ability to satisfy all desires---the sublime, the primitive, and the ridiculous.

Humankind may well be creating heaven on earth, but without transforming human nature it will be nothing like the heaven that the ancients envisioned.