As the century comes to a close, it's tempting to think about what our era may be remembered for 100 years from now. On the credit side of the ledger, we can cite progress in:
- mathematics --- limitations of proof, computability, and formal systems;
- physics --- gravitation; relativistic quantum mechanics; quantum electrodynamics; much atomic, nuclear, and high-energy physics;
- astronomy --- cosmic timescales and distances; sources of stellar energy; laws governing the evolution of the Universe from its hot, dense origins;
- geology --- mechanisms underlying continents and oceans, vulcanism and earthquakes, geomagnetism, and large-scale climatic change;
- chemistry --- nature of the chemical bond; many details of atomic and molecular interactions;
- biology --- genetic building blocks of terrestrial life; details of evolution by natural selection; biochemistry of cellular processes; progress in understanding neurophysiology and the brain;
- engineering --- systems-analytic technology to design and fabricate artifacts of great complexity, both huge and microscopic, at lower cost with improved safety and reliability; harnessing of electricity and magnetism to store, manipulate, and transmit energy and information at extraordinary rates;
- education --- literacy and access to shared knowledge by most members of many societies;
- medicine --- nutrition; prevention and cure of disease; surgical procedures; improved life expectancy;
- economics --- better understanding of macro- and microeconomic factors in wealth creation and the business cycle.
Unfortunately, on the debit side of the account for us, we have to acknowledge:
- warfare --- multiple conflicts of global scope, resulting in millions of casualties including vast numbers of civilian noncombatants; new technologies to kill masses of people in horrible fashions at great distances, cheaply and quickly;
- politics --- totalitarian states suppressing individual liberty and wasting resources to benefit the few in seats of power;
- tribalism --- conspiracy by groups to suppress the rights of non-members, based on race, sex, religion, or other characteristics; in its extreme, genocide, the systematic extermination of selected human populations;
- poverty --- catastrophic disparities of wealth between and within nations, based on accidents of birth, circumstances, or politics.
Much to be proud of, but much to regret. An optimist would see trends as improving; a pessimist would note recent signs of trouble. Both would agree that we have far to go until all people can have substantially equal chances to live in peace and freedom, to pursue individual happiness, and to enjoy, and share, and contribute to human progress.
We can hope....
- Wednesday, September 22, 1999 at 20:12:23 (EDT) = Datetag19990922
TopicScience - TopicSociety
(correlates: PartyLines, OnLegalism, WorthRemembering1, ...)
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