Exponential Rate of Science
As the trends of the preceding century have shown, the rates of intelligent design, micro-engineering, price/performance quotients, etc. all will maintain an exponential vector and that this great explosion of innovation will most likely occur within our lifetimes. Essentially, humans view themselves to exist within a linear world, akin to how we conceive of historical development, one event after another, a compilation on a rather simple, constant vector. Yet, the fields of information technology and evolutionary development work within an exponential paradigm.
Role of Magic/Technology in Contemporary Culture
Today, many people refer current technology and science as magical findings because they are aware of its power and ability to perform unbelievable jobs that humans can't. In fact, its ability to achieve very intellectual jobs is increasing exponentially, For example, the promise of fully functioning AI, therapeutic robots the size of blood cells that would eradicate cancer and most disease, molecular computers and even quantum computers with computing power that surpasses the computational powers of our own brain are forecast to become reality within our own lifetime. The term "Singularity" demonstrates that the role of magic in contemporary culture is to go beyond what human beings can do, such as an intellectual development of science and technology. Just like people in old days believed things that are impossible to happen is magic, people today believe that our exponentially growing power of technology is magical and mystery.
Questions to consider:
- What happens once the threshold of the singularity has been crossed?
- What happens once death is no longer a promise but merely a possibility?
- What happens once the present is so different from the past as to detach itself from the reflexivity which has so far defined modernity and the meaning of everyday life?