X-Message-Number: 20851 From: Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 14:42:12 -0000 Subject: Re: CryoNet #20832 - #20846 > Message #20841 > From: "Mark Plus" <> > Subject: Progress fatigue > Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 09:31:11 -0800 > > When Alvin Toffler popularized the phrase "future shock" circa 1970, .....(SNIP) > Around 30 years ago molecular biologist Gunther Stent > predicted something like this in his book _The Coming of the Golden > Age_, where he argued that the people who grow up in comfortable > conditions will lose the "Faustian" drive that motivated their > ancestors to build, accumulate capital and push the frontiers of > science & technology. Interesting post Mark. Perhaps future shock is best measured today by which hollywood blockbuster-special effects movie grossed the most? :-) Even cloning isn't very shocking in a "future shock" way. I think the "Faustian drive" is still there in our need to escape/ignore/explain death. However, most people seem to do this by aligning with an ideology/nation/religion whatever, and few are taking the steps cryonauts are - therefore, they are not driving technological change, but sticking with the tried, tested and stagnant methods (which end in death). Perhaps the F drive might also be given a kick if the world is hit by man-made or natural disaster, be this a gamma-ray burst, ecological collpase, world-war or whatever. Anthony --------------------------------------- http://www.noumenal.net/exiles Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20851