Themes Bold Predictions, Stern Warnings

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These passionate, fearless speakers don’t mince words. They identify the most difficult problems and propose bold solutions.

Climatologist David Keith considers the dramatic and even dangerous ways in which global warming might be reversed in a hurry -- and who ought to regulate such action. On the same issue, economist Bjorn Lomborg delivers his controversial but no less important thesis: there are simply bigger problems to worry about. And characteristically acerbic James Howard Kunstler wants to stave off a hypothetical "long emergency" -- by encouraging developers to build public spaces worth caring about.

Other speakers see more reason for optimism. Maverick gerontologist Aubrey de Grey investigates the notion of indefinite life extension, while inventor Ray Kurzweil predicts an accelerated future where technology and humanity advance as one. And Robert Wright’s dry delivery somehow highlights his inspired conviction that human history has a direction -- an "arrow" -- and that, from here, things can only get better.

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Discuss this theme: Bold Predictions, Stern Warnings

  • Sam Pizzi – April 12 2008

    Extremely well thought out. Too bad most think they will leave it up to others to change.

  • Frank Alec – February 28 2008

    We humans often count ourselves out of the reality of extinction. One of the reasons why this happens: basic human behavior of superiority. We think of ourselves as being on top of the food chain and command or control what can control. We forget that without clean air we will suffocate, we forget that without clean water we will thirst to death, and without clothing we will certainly freeze. My prediction: food, clothing, and water will be depleting faster and the humans will have a slow ride to extinction. Other animals will perish as well, but the insects and some smaller animals will survive. At the rate of pollution and waste, the extinction time is clicking faster...we won't be around for that, is that fair?

  • Bruce LaDuke – June 28 2007

    There are three dynamics, that combine to form the current state of any society:

    1) Knowledge Advance - The center is knoweldge creation
    2) Social Context - The center is the balance of interests
    3) Economy - The center is supply and demand (includes education as a feeder pool for industry)

    When these three are out of balance in any way, and are no longer cooperative, social issues emerge. These can be anythng from poverty, to a disjointed educational system, to conflicts and wars.

    Transformation is the process of transforming any one of these dynamics to keep pace with the other two. Social transformation is typically the most needful and is used to transform the social context that balances human interests.

    ALL social issues stem from some imbalance of these three integrated dynamics.

  • jeremie laflamme – June 19 2007

    Are future can only be shape by the power of masses and the conning of people in power.

  • christopher macrae – April 23 2007

    It has always seemed to our future historian networks that there are 2 types of Bold-Stern; those that are based on extrapolating what system exponential is already spinning, and those that have little creative substance beyond a fortune teller's imagination. Which is which above? http://futurehistory.jp http://normanmacrae.com/future_history.html Unfortunately some of globalisation system exponentially accelerating spins which our "Death of Distance" books first invited people to map and open source with us in 1984 appear to be about 7 years out from irreversibility; this means that debating who's type 1 and type 2 is an important responsibility we owe to our children. http://economistclub.tv http://sustainabilityclub.com If you know of other spaces where these debates are being open spaced, we'd love to know.