Bernie Sanders, Automation, and the Fate of the US

[paulthompson]

55. You're talking very long term

I wouldn't be surprised if in a hundred years, we'll be living in a "Star Trek" world where there basically is no money and personal possessions aren't very important. Think of the "replicator" in "Star Trek" that can create anything you want at any time. 3D printers are very early versions of the same idea, and the technological advances in decades to come (if our civilization lasts that long) are pretty much beyond our comprehension. Think about how mind blowing what we have today would have been to people 100 years ago.

The famous physicist Michio Kaku has written some interesting books on the future after consulting with the best scientists on the cutting edge of many different fields, and he's basically said that if we make it another 100 years, we'll seem more like gods than humans, because technology will give us so much control over our surroundings.

The problem is getting from here to there. We could easily blow it and go in an entirely wrong direction. Just look at countries like North Korea that are moving full speed towards Orwellian dystopia. But even if we are headed in the right direction, the transition to a utopian future is going to take many decades, and there could be a lot of economic turmoil along the way.

So talk about "revolution" vs. "money" is misguided. Right now, people still need money to survive and thrive. Yes, eventually we'll move to a world without work, but not yet, not tomorrow. The technology and society isn't anywhere near close to being ready for that. The important thing is to be heading in the right direction by implementing wise and far-sighted government policies.