2038: Technology and Our Future/Action Plan for 2038

Short URL: https://is.gd/TheNext20Years

  • 2019 -- Action Plan for 2038
  • A followup class (one day, 2.25 hours) -- With discussion of possible action plans to address issues raised by these books
  • (Viewing Dimandis Abundance TED talk is strongly encouraged)
  • 2018 fall:
    • RISE - Sept 7 to Oct 5th Fridays 9-10:30AM rm 121
    • OLLI - Sept.4-Oct 2nd, Tuesdays 10-11:30 Concord
  • 2018 spring: OLLI 5 days, 1.5 hours Manchester

A new generation of books have come out addressing the "Supernova" (term from Thomas Friedman's book) of technological changes that are, and will be affecting society on a personal and global basis. Many of these changes are "good", at least on the surface, but also many of them will have a significant impact on the world as we know it. The Future is not what it used to be.

The class will use perspectives from a number of trends and futurists to identify the factors involved, the challenges we face, and discuss how we (individuals and society) might respond.

  1. Technological change is accelerating on many fronts -- from multiple paradigm changes to a "supernova"
  2. Thomas Friedman's observations about change ("Thankyou for Being Late")
  3. The historical context - Homo Deus, et al
    • For the last 10,000 years we focused on famine, pestilence and war
    • these are now within human control
    • We have established humanist values to drive principles
    • Liberal (individualism), community based (communism), evolutionary (fascism & genocide)
  4. The future of work
    • Outsourcing, offshoring
    • Robosourcing and AI
    • Productivity and automation are displacing jobs -- "Non-employed" is a growing community of folks who are not seeking jobs, ergo not "unemployed"
    • Rise of the useless class (Hamari's term) (Friedman uses non-employed)
    • Concepts - universal basic income (reverse income tax), work week expectations, wage gap
  5. Re-invention of Life and Death
    • virtual immortality?
    • Haves and Have-nots - inequality for all
    • Will we see the division of humanity into two species, homo nextus and homo left-behind-us?

Resources/References: