"We have these huge significant events that are all...converging at the same time...We are essentially kind of hanging ourselves out over a cliff, using the ethics and values of the past to try and make sense out of these events and these new technological capabilities of the future," said John Petersen of the Arlington Institute(1), in an interview in Issue 24 of What is Enlightenment?(2) magazine.
Among the technological breakthroughs that Petersen says are on the horizon are the capability to control computers via the thought process along with the ability to automatically translate languages. Within 2 or 3 years he envisions a change in energy production, with the harnessing of electricity "just by directing water at a metal plate," as well as dramatically decreasing the cost of photovoltaic cells for solar power.
Yet on the geopolitical front, Petersen warns of the collapse of the Saudi Arabian government, "which could turn into a huge disruption of the energy markets and cause a global depression." To face these looming changes, he advocates for an "enlightened perspective" in government with a "long view to the future."
--L.L.(3)
1. http://www.arlingtoninstitute.org/
2. http://www.wie.org/
3. http://archive.coasttocoastam.com/info/about_lex.html