Although not everyone might agree, we live in exciting times at the tip of an exponential technology development curve. And we also live in the Middle Ages.
Never in the human history has change happened so fast, so relentlessly and so creatively. To the casual observer, not much seems to change other than the shape of cars, the increased use of mobile phones, computers and other media toys. We still live in houses built a century or two ago, eat and drink and sleep and suffer human stuff, go to work and go to bed.
But look closer, and you will notice that under the surface a new civilisation, and, potentially, a new conception of life, is being groomed. The new era is defined by complexity, data management, dematerialisation and redefinition of points of reference and barriers previously considered as absolute.
The essence of life in itself is being redefined in three important areas:
The advent of synthetic life: This week the papers were full (and rightly so) with the announcement of the creation of the first artificial living cell. This redefines the frontiers of life, of civilisation and of what it means to be human, in a not dissimilar fashion to how the atomic bomb consolidated humanity's capacity of destroying itself – just at the other end of the spectrum, and in much more complex ramifications. The Bomb was achieved by physicians, which places it squarely in the paradigm of the past century. The synthetic cell is designed by biologists - the complexity bearers of our century.
The gradual convergence of life and machine: Ray Kurzweil defines the Singularity as the melting of the boundaries between man and machine and he predicts the sigularity for about 2040. The exponential evolution of computing power will certainly contribute to reshaping the world in a way that is still not fully understood. The synthetic cell mentioned above was made possible by computers, and computers will regulate every single other aspect of human life for each individual from the cradle to the grave to the extent that they will turn into indispensable life enhancers and brain extensions. in case you are smiling (or crying) at the prospect: we should never forget that computers have been around for less than 50 years - and in evolutionary terms they are in their infancy, really.
The Water challenge: No life without water - I have mentioned it before - and this week the Economist carries a long report on water management. While water was no real issue until 30 or 40 years ago, the recent doubling of the world's population, along with the economic development of the middle classes in emerging (and populous) economies are quickly turning water into one of the hot topics of the century. The need for safe drinking water for 9 billion people (2050), and even more the related industry and agriculture will turn this commodity into the most coveted resource of the coming generations. Not least because there is a finite amount that is readily available (about 97% of the earth's water is sea water, not easily usable - and desalination remains a technological challenge). In particular India and China are heading for a water disaster and we are just beginning to understand some of the geopolitical implications. Water management is likely to emerge as one of the major skills for the next twenty years. The pressure to provide sufficient and safe drinking water to their populations will reshape politics and recast power balances across the globe.
The management of synthetic life (with its opportunities and risks), the unpredictable outcomes of the ongoing information revolution and the relentless need to sustain life in its most basic form is transforming how we see and describe ourselves at breathtaking speed.
Our grandchildren may well deem us as archaic as we consider the Middle Ages.
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