Imagine a person from the year 1400 AD, being taken to the world of 1700. They would be shocked at the printing press, the telescope, the seafaring empires. Yet they would still find their footing. Now, imagine someone from 1700 being taken to 2022. To anyone from the era of horses and sailboats, our everyday cars and skyscrapers and smartphones would seem overwhelmingly magical. This implies something interesting: not only is the future usually weirder than the past, but it’s getting weirder faster. This implies that, a century or two from now, the world may have changed beyond recognition. (Adapted from here). (Policymakers)
Imagine a person from the year 1400 AD, being taken to the world of 1700. They would be shocked at the printing press, the telescope, the seafaring empires. Yet they would still find their footing. Now, imagine someone from 1700 being taken to 2022. To anyone from the era of horses and sailboats, our everyday cars and skyscrapers and smartphones would seem overwhelmingly magical. This implies something interesting: not only is the future usually weirder than the past, but it’s getting weirder faster. This implies that, a century or two from now, the world may have changed beyond recognition. (Adapted from here). (Policymakers)