🚀 go-pugleaf

>>> As an archaeologist who regularly deals with human cultural 
>>> phenomena over broad spans of time (500 years is not a daunting 
>>> chunk), I am far more optimistic about our ability to formulate a 
>>> pretty good idea of what things will be like a thousand years in the
>>> future.  
> 
> I doubt that any 19th century
> archaeologist excavating 14-th
> century ruins - or even his own 19th century's
> garbage heaps - could have predicted, say, this
> Internet...
> 
I beg to differ.  The Internet is a logical outcome of the invention of the printing
press, which was a revolutionary discovery in its own time.  Besides, if you had read
and understood my posts, you would realize that I believe the Internet is of marginal
importance for the majority (and growing) world population--many of whom have yet to
realize the benefits of the printing press!

> Of course, changes of this magnitude
> occurred before, they just took
> longer. Could a preliterate 
> have predicted writing? 
> He'd have to invent it first!
> 
Methods of remembering  and communicating information have been around as long as humans
have been.  They have just increased in volume and efficiency.

What you view as an "explosion" of technology still has a trickle-down effect as far as
the total world population is concerned.  Those without access to this technology are
multiplying far faster than the ability to deliver it.  Think of how many people in
Africa, India, and China are still living with an Iron Age technology.  How long will it
be before the real  benefits of the Space Age or the Information Age reach them?  Yes,
they get the weapons, poisons, toys, and even music, but we need to consider achieving
literacy before we get as far as computer literacy.

								John Hoopes