Incredible changes ahead by mid-2020s, experts say
June 10 2008 / by futuretalk
Category: Other Year: General Rating: 13 Hot
By Dick Pelletier
Futurist Ray Kurzweil believes we will experience more
discoveries in the next twenty years than we did in the last two
hundred. Many of tomorrow’s sci-tech advances are in the ‘idea’
stage already and, driven by corporate profits, experts believe
they will arrive on schedule. Welcome to the wonderful world of
mid-2020s. 
Computers – merged into our houses and clothing, the computer, keyboard, and mouse are gone. Images now appear on any wall on command or directly onto our retinas, bypassing display screens entirely. By late-2020s, signals can go straight to the optic nerve (the optic nerve tells the brain what we see), allowing our brain to ‘see’ pictures without using our eyes. Coupled with enhanced intelligence, we could enjoy a movie and talk with friends simultaneously – with complete understanding and memories of both events.
Nano-Biotech – doctors routinely replace diseased organs with newly-cloned ones. Tiny medical nanobots cruise through our veins and neurons, keeping us forever young, smart, and in perfect health.
Genetics – procedures discovered from RNAi research includes restoring mobility to the paralyzed, creating enhancements that erase wrinkles, strengthen muscles and bones; even change skin color!
Science and the Internet – nanotech, biotech, infotech, and cognitive science have dramatically improved the human condition by increasing available food, energy, and water. In 2025, over 70% of the world has created a better life for themselves by accessing information and opportunities on the ‘net’.
Education – some groups resisted modern technologies, which resulted in out-of-date textbooks and inferior education. However for most children, the ‘Internet brain’ became as normal as the PC was to their parents and the telephone to their grandparents. New learning systems recognize cognitive difficulties and alter curriculum as needed for each student. They also diagnose potential for violent behavior and provide corrective therapies, which turns troubled children into model citizens. Most people accept this invasion of privacy for the gain in human security. (cont.)
Terrorism and Weaponry – some futurists describe Earth 2025 as a “world astir”, with angry populations and potentially wide dissemination of WMDs. The most vivid threats involve terrorists gaining access to futuristic weapons. However, most countries now use non-lethal weapons in combat, which temporarily disrupt the conscious faculties of enemies without killing them. This policy has resulted in a reduction of threats posed by terrorists.
Religion – ethicists wonder, do we have the right to genetically change ourselves and future generations? Is it right for people to merge with technology to prevent machines from gaining control over humanity? Growing secularism is challenging many of these religious concerns, which has caused conservative religions to lose membership, while other new age ‘religions’ are flourishing.
Robots – priced in the $10,000 range, these amazing machines perform many tasks. Also valued for personality, wisdom and wit, most families have grown to love their servant ‘bot.
Space – returning men to the moon and the expected completion of the space elevator by late 2020s has renewed space enthusiasm. Excitement builds for the planned Mars landing in 2030.
Shifting World Power – for 75 years, the U.S. has led the world in scientific discovery and innovations and though they still maintain this predominance in mid-2020s, futurists predict that China may eventually surpass the U.S.
Today we only dream of replacing body parts and aging skin on demand. In the 2020s, this dream becomes real. Go “magical future”. Comments welcome.
NOTE: Hey Gang, this is the 100th Futuretalk post on FutureBlogger and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the readers who have read my science and technology blurbs.
If you have any suggestions on future topics you would like to see covered, please mention them in an email to futuretalk@positivefuturist.com.
Thanks, Dick
(image by null0, CC-BY-AA-2.0)
Comment Thread (7 Responses)
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Dick, congrats on your 100th post! You always stir the imagination – and some controversy to boot. Looking forward to the next 100!
Posted by: Jeff Hilford June 10, 2008
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Life extension first. Everything else later.
Too bad I’ll be long since frozen when decent life extension comes to market.
Posted by: adbatstone80 June 10, 2008
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Great 100th post. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the thought-provoking previous 99.
I concur with the most of the prediction you lay out here.
As far as education and your vision of “New learning systems [that] recognize cognitive difficulties and alter curriculum as needed for each student”, I think that’ll be here well before 2020.
Posted by: Alvis Brigis June 11, 2008
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I said it before and I’ll say it again. Ray Kurzweil is not a credible scientific source.
Posted by: adbatstone80 June 11, 2008
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@adbatsone – you’ve said this before and continuously take potshots at futuretalk but never give anything to back up what you say. Kurzweil has won the National Medal of Technology and has patented numerous breakthrough inventions in his field. Those are his science creds. As a futurist, he has studied, charted and articulated trends that provide an overview of the pace of technological evolution. Futuretalk lays out timelines which you are free to address specifically yet all you do is dismiss them wholesale with same definitiveness that you criticize FT for. Until you start specifying why these projections are impossible, I find it harder and harder to take your rejections seriously. We’re all up for a good debate…so let’s do it.
Happy 100th FT, when you hit your 100th bday we’ll have resolution to all of this!
Posted by: Joe Meme June 12, 2008
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While I think that Kurzweil’s 20 – 30 predictions often fail to consider a broadly changing environment and generally amount to a single view of many possible futures, I do think that his near-term stuff and most of the predictions mentioned here by Pelletier are far more plausible.
Posted by: Alvis Brigis June 12, 2008
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adbatstone80 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Kurzweil#Awards Look at the degrees and awards. Maybe it would help others understand your points, if you would tell us A What is your level of education, and B Where have you been educated.
And please provide the evidence against Ray Kurzweils visions.
Posted by: JHE June 12, 2008
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