Just about every movie I can think of that involves the future shows our destiny as one of living in a social dystopia, victims of pollution, an oppressive omnipotent government, oppressive technology... dark grim futures...

Is this what our future holds? Does Hollywood have it right? Is there no potential for enlightenment or are we doomed to live in the future envisioned by Orwell?

Think for a minute about who makes movies.

Think for a minute about who makes movies.

Well, books too, not just movies but yeah, I'm not saying Hollywood is a prognosticator here but even Nostradamus thought so too apparently and he wasn't selling films... I'm just asking what your thoughts are. Are we heading toward that future? I would wager now that we are. GPS trackers exist in nearly every one of our pockets. You think that your microphone or camera can't be turned on remotely without your knowledge if one were so inclined to do so? Our government is invading nearly every private facet of our lives today... so I am thinking we're on our way. Perhaps when our economy is done collapsing we'll experience an acceleration of these things?

Whether it is worth the cost of the age of privacy being over is another debate, but we are certainly safer now than we were before.

Ok... stop focusing on movies here. That's just an example of the vision, not saying they're predicting the future. I'm just using that as an example of what it may look like. I'm asking if that's where we are headed or are we capable of living an enlightened, blissful future...
So forget movies... do you believe we're heading toward utopia, or dystopia?

So forget movies... do you believe we're heading toward utopia, or dystopia?

From whom?

Other people and other countries.

I would argue that we're in more danger than ever before. I don't think we're safer at all. Certainly not being protected by an erosion of our rights.

I'm telling you... Google Ray Kurzweil. He will tell you how technology will affect us and when. He's been very accurate thus far. He is optimistic about technology and our future.

Culturally, I think we are trending towards being one big suburban mall

Very accurate vs other futurists?

Seems pretty hit and miss just from a quick google search. Seems he hit on a lot of stuff in the 90's but his 2009 predictions were pretty off

I'm pretty optimistic about the future as far as happiness. Culturally, I think we are trending towards being one big suburban mall

Hoffy... "Humans" have been on Earth for roughly 12,000 years, if we are talking "settled" humans who have used agriculture as a primary means of food. This is out of several billion years. Have we really always overcome? I would argue that we've never really been challenged. A single asteroid would end this entire dream.

We are still here, are we not? I would say, "Yes," we have overcome everything because we are still on this planet and are the dominant species.

But what have we overcome, as a species?