The Stagnation Apocalypse

When I imagine humankind transcending its primitive roots, I envision the stereotypical cavemen delightfully dancing around their newly discovered fire. I anticipate that the exuberant majority among the community would suppress the worries of the concerned minority. The fated discoverers would learn to master fire and its characteristics. Through experience, they could mitigate the dangers and progress towards the veiled future. However, the real question has yet to be asked. What if the minority conveyed their fears to the majority? A scenario such as a caveman describing in vivid details about his nightmares of fire is possible. In the prophetical dream, the cursed fire would engulf a wailing child, rapidly spread to inflame their tribe and then all the lands. The entire world was set aflame before his very eyes. Consequently, this mysteriously cursed substance was to be banned and never mentioned again. If this scenario played out and humans never stumbled across fire again, the existence of the modern world would be highly improbable. By retaining the status quo and validating the fears of the few, human development abruptly stops. This imaginative story may not seem applicable to today’s world, but I believe the fire represents the frontier of human growth. In the modern era, technology is a significant portion of this fire and reflects the next step into the future. Without technology, the development of human civilization is simply not attainable.

Humans are the ultimate apex predator. This ecological conclusion reinforces the anthropocentric perspective of standing alone at the top. Ostensible challenges to this concept instigate the fears of the few. In the article “Robot Apocalypse”, for example, Odelia Kaly explores the possibility of technology growing rampant and ending the era of humans.[1] She states in this passage, “The dinosaurs preceded the Homo sapiens, who perhaps precede the cyborgs.”[2] Not only does the word cyborg contain a negative connotation, the author does not provide any support for how cyborgs can possibly arise from existing technology. This use of the slippery slope fallacy greatly exaggerates potential threats. Kaly is not the first to commit this error; Socrates initially criticized the revolution of writing because it purportedly created forgetfulness and eliminated the use of memories. CNN wrote that “Email hurts IQ more than pot” while the Daily Mail claimed, “using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer.”[3] These overstatements are nothing new, yet they still remain a danger to progress. With the absence of writing or email, the world would certainly be a different place. Human civilization was founded on the utilization of tools to solve problems. Technology happens to be one of these tools. Like the wheel or the pen, it not only promotes efficiency, but it also represents the next step available to humanity.

While technology may have aggrandized human knowledge, it has also come with a couple of other consequences. For instance, technology has led to the creation of destructive weapons such as nuclear missiles. However, due to their immense destructive power, they act as a deterrent for potential wars. This mutually assured destruction had quite a psychological influence on populations in the Cold War era, but also may have prevented the direct conflict between Russia and the United States. The development of weapons from increased technology is unfortunate, but conflict has marred human history from the very beginning. In the end, technology is unable to change human nature.

Another concern that circles back to human nature is environmentalism. Since technology is a tool, it is often used in obtaining natural resources. However, I believe that the criticism that stems from this process is unwarranted. In Garrett Hardin’s highly cited “The Tragedy of the Commons”, the example of exploitation that Hardin provides is not related to technology, but to pastures and herdsmen.[4] The problem of a devalued environment does not originate from technology, but from human greed to maximize products. Since one may point out that the extent of technology was different in 1968 than now, it is important to note that technology still enjoyed prominent discussion among environmentalists. Hardin exemplified technology’s importance by addressing the “Technological Optimists” that relied on technology to sustain human growth.[5] However, technological advances such as the agricultural revolution and the use of wind power have helped our society grow and become sustainable.

The possibility of a stagnant future is the worst possible outcome. If civilization had stopped developing after discovering fire, writing, or the Internet, the world would not be as rich and exciting. Without the faith in technology, we severely limit the ways we can advance. The apocalypse of humanity doesn’t depend on robots; it precipitates from the acquiescence to stagnation.