X-Message-Number: 29749
From: "Mark Plus" <>
Subject: Future fatigue
Date: Sun, 19 Aug 2007 20:03:34 -0700

The blog of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology (an organization that 
stands in relation to real "nanotech" as Hogwarts stands in relation to 
responsible magic, from what I've seen of capital-N Nanotech so far) has 
some discussions going about what I call "future fatigue," namely our 
society's loss of excitement about possible futures:

Post-Millennial Malaise
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2007/08/post-millennial.html

Future Alienation
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2007/08/alienation-agai.html

The Age of Wonders (including an essay by David Brin)
http://crnano.typepad.com/crnblog/2007/08/the-age-of-wond.html

This trend seems to tie in with Ronald Bailey's observation about the 
recently concluded conference of the World Future Society that most of the 
participating "futurists" looked like older Baby Boomers, who came of age in 
the 1960's when "futurology" might have turned into something substantial 
but instead deteriorated into irony:

"It's Hard To Make Predictions, Especially About the Future"
http://www.reason.com/news/show/121684.html

The current singularitarian gatherings seem to draw younger crowds, like the 
Extropian linkups in the early 1990's. Eventually middle age reality (= no 
"singularity" in sight) will cool the singularitarians' enthusiasm, as it  
did the Extropians'.

"There was a time before reason and science when my ancestors believed in 
all manner of nonsense." (Narim on "Stargate SG-1")

Mark Plus

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