We evolved to live as hunter gatherers within small communities, but in a global civilisation many struggle to find a sense of belonging. Technology can increase understanding and bring people together, but also isolate them. Many fear its impact on freedom and employment. However, we can choose to use technology that benefits society, rather than allow it to control us.
For millennia technology shaped how people lived and worked and we adapted to change. The Arts and Crafts Movement emerged in the UK during the 19th century, as a response to the impact on society of rapid industrialisation. Could the movement's philosophy help us in the 21st century?
Does free will exist? Can machines become self-aware? Are emotions essential for decision making? How does biology shape behaviour? What will be the impact of AI on human society? Issues raised by such questions are central to what it means to be human at a time when AI and robotics are advancing rapidly.
Predicting the future with mathematics. Learning the world is a simulation. The themes found in science fiction exist in various forms within stories passed on across the centuries. This article looks at some of the stories exploring the future of our world and how we might live during the decades and centuries ahead.
Nobody can know for certain what will happen in the future, but many people speculate. They typically draw upon past experience in an attempt to predict outcomes. However, taking a more analytical approach might be more effective, by using relevant data to calculate the probability of different future events taking place.
Science-fiction movies can explore imaginary worlds, free from many constraints that exist in contemporary or historical movies. They can portray fictional worlds and possible futures, drawing upon the real world. Science and technology depicted in movies has inspired and been inspired by real discoveries and inventions.
Science fiction authors have explored possible utopian and dystopian futures and many of the issues that concern us today. Their stories have helped many people escape from reality, but also perhaps better prepare them for the rapid change taking place around them and inspired development of new technologies.
Our pre-literate ancestors wove what they believed about the world and each other into stories, often featuring heroes, gods and monsters. The myths are still with us, though they might appear in new forms. Themes they explore still resonate with us and can be found in contemporary books, movies and television shows.
Beginning in Britain during the 18th century and accelerating during the 19th and into the 20th century, the Industrial Revolution led millions of former agricultural workers to seek employment in the growing industrial cities. Parallels have been drawn to concerns today regarding the impact on society of AI and robotics.
