Many of us, owing to an intuitive sense of where technological and social progress are taking us, have a preconceived notion of what the future will look like. But as history has continually shown, the future doesn’t always go according to plan. Here are 11 ways the world of tomorrow may not unfold the way we expect. Illustration by Tara Jacoby 1. There Could Be a Resurgence in Authoritarian Rule Many of us believe that democratic values and institutions will still be around in the future. But as we head deeper into the 21st century, the continuing presence and increased accessibility of weapons of mass destruction could severely upset the political status quo. Advertisement As I noted back in 2008 at the IEET’s’ Symposium on Global Catastrophic Risks, technologies that threaten human existence stand to significantly perturb contemporary sensibilities about social control and civil liberties. As we saw after the 9/11 attacks, our governments are more than willing and able to curtail our rights and impose restrictive laws in response to a crisis. Imagine what would happen in the event of something far worse. Looking ahead, institutions that have served for centuries to protect democratic values — and which we… Read full this story
- Turning 20 in 2020: What do millennials born in 2000 think about the future?
- David Glasser On His & TWC’s Future After Harvey Weinstein
- FMIA Wild Card: Tom Brady the Pragmatist Controls His NFL Future
- 11 different groups that successfully invaded America (in a video game)
- Mike McCarthy's Cowboys coaching staff in 2020: Who's in, who's out and who might be on the way to Dallas
- Interview: Turn 10 talks UGC, strain, and hints at tracks
- NBCSports.com’s 50 best players in 5 years: Joel Embiid, De’Aaron Fox, players 15-11
- Poll: Americans Split on Personal, Country's Future
- 11 thoughts on Rainbow Six Siege’s buggy, evolutionary 2019
- How Diane Kruger Ended Up With Norman Reedus: Inside Their Unexpected Love Story
11 Ways The Future Could Turn Out Differently Than You Expect have 310 words, post on io9.gizmodo.com at January 29, 2015. This is cached page on NGHONG. If you want remove this page, please contact us.