Answer:
The growth in global population follows a flat line for most of human history and then, at the turn of the industrial revolution, the line shifts to nearly vertical – like a hockey stick – as the population explodes. The same shape show growth in technology and innovation –flat for thousands of years and then suddenly germ theory, telephones, airplanes and the internet, all within a few hundred years.
Sadly, a graph showing the increasing destruction of our environment would have the same shape and would lead to our demise.
“Without a thriving biosphere, there is no human future,” Luby said.
Also threatening that future? Our recently acquired abilities to destroy each other with nuclear weapons and lethal synthetic biology. As an example, CRISPR, a gene-editing technology, could be a force for good used to help eradicate disease or it could potentially be used to cause harm, such as by genetically modifying bird flu to become airborne. And, as Luby sees it, “There’s no shortage of sociopaths.”
Potential danger also lurks in the acceleration of artificial intelligence. AI doesn’t need to turn evil, just competent, to threaten a human future, Luby said. As an example, a machine that is indifferent to human survival could be programmed to create as many paperclips as possible. It may decide to transform the entire biomass into paperclips, he said.
To stick around and survive all these hazards, humans need to become more than competent at looking past our own biases, he said. Short-term thinking, unrealistic optimism and the search for a panacea — the Greek goddess of universal remedies — won’t ensure a thriving future.
For Luby, universities can play a critical role in protecting us. Governments tend to be short-sighted; non-government organizations tend to have limited resources; and corporations are not incentivized to protect humanity. But universities, with multiple areas of expertise and a commitment to interdisciplinary research, may be best-suited to leading to a solution, he said. Universities also have loads of young people with fresh ideas and professors, like Luby, who are committed problem-solving.
Explanation:
Please brainliest =)
