The technologies of the present and immediate future – I’m thinking here of electronic information and telecommunication technologies – have already marginalized and bypassed, if not utterly destroyed, all major institutions of the present – including many of the reasons cities – and megacities – came into existence to begin with. But when I look at what the completing of the human genome project, and all the other aspects of the biological and nanotechnological revolution are about to do to our ideas about and fund of “information,” “intelligence,” and even “life,” then I realize that the impact of electronic technologies on our old institutions and beliefs is nothing compared to what these new technologies are about to bring.
Predictor: Dator, Jim
Prediction, in context:In a 1995 speech for the International Conference on Development, Ethics and the Environment in Kuala Lumpur titled “Coming Ready or Not: The World We Are Leaving Future Generations, and Our Responsibility Toward Them,” futurist Jim Dator says: ”I believe that new technologies historically have been the major agents of social and environmental change. And I believe the technologies of the present and immediate future – I’m thinking here of electronic information and telecommunication technologies – have already marginalized and bypassed, if not utterly destroyed, all major institutions of the present – including many of the reasons cities – and megacities – came into existence to begin with. But when I look at what the completing of the human genome project, and all the other aspects of the biological and nanotechnological revolution are about to do to our ideas about and fund of ‘information,’ ‘intelligence,’ and even ‘life,’ then I realize that the impact of electronic technologies on our old institutions and beliefs is nothing compared to what these new technologies are about to bring.”
Biography:Jim Dator was a futurist who is credited with founding the first Future Studies program in 1971. He has been director of the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies at the University of Hawaii. (Futurist/Consultant.)
Date of prediction: January 1, 1995
Topic of prediction: General, Overarching Remarks
Subtopic: General
Name of publication: International Conference on Development, Ethics and the Environment, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, January 13-16, 1995
Title, headline, chapter name: Coming Ready or Not: The World We Are Leaving Future Generations, and Our Responsibility Toward Them
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.futures.hawaii.edu/dator/other/religion.pdf
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney