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Aging is cured, but only as fast as we can handle it. Sensible stewardship of the planet becomes a political necessity. Population growth is slow and steady into 2050, and new technologies easily keep up with the demand on resources. Artificial intelligence and mechanization raise the global standard of living. Wide use of solar power with desalinization and modern genetically manipulated plants and animals bring the cost of food down so low a small stipend is granted worldwide for those who need it, and the stipend is sufficient to feed each recipient. New technologies empower the poor and rather than forcing the issue (and risking pitchfork time) the global elite give way to some extent.
The liberals are right in their claims about allowing immigrants: it turns out having a job and a home and enough to eat is enough to turn European Muslims away from extremism. Having lost that avenue of attack and under increasingly intelligent mechanized surveillance Muslim extremism is slowly chipped away. Religious terror attacks happen occasionally, but become small, rare, unsupported by any real organization, and conducted by obviously insane people.
As it becomes obvious unaugmented humans are completely eclipsed by the abilities of robots work stops being seen as desirable, and capitalist values begin to decline. It's no longer seen as shameful to live on welfare. Welfare is also not an unbearable burden on society, no matter how many people choose to accept it. People spend their time volunteering, seeking self-enrichment, or just drinking beer and watching sports. Several government programs try, unsuccessfully, to motivate this last group but it's not seen as economically urgent.
Governments tread a careful line between the demands of the rich and the needs of the poor. Sociology meets chaos theory in several powerful models run in supercomputers and it turns out to be much cheaper to just let people do what they want. As predicted by these models while some people choose to do very little one person in a thousand is a highly motivated and talented inventor, artist, philosopher, programmer, or other innovator. These people carry the burden of mankind's continued success, and they carry it well. They are richly rewarded. Because each human now has that chance the arts and sciences flourish. And so looking up from the decadence of an uncaring world the best and brightest, the adventuresome, ambitious, and discontent look to the stars and begin the gargantuan task of building humanity's first generation ship.
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[–] AmaleksHairyAss ago
Aging is cured, but only as fast as we can handle it. Sensible stewardship of the planet becomes a political necessity. Population growth is slow and steady into 2050, and new technologies easily keep up with the demand on resources. Artificial intelligence and mechanization raise the global standard of living. Wide use of solar power with desalinization and modern genetically manipulated plants and animals bring the cost of food down so low a small stipend is granted worldwide for those who need it, and the stipend is sufficient to feed each recipient. New technologies empower the poor and rather than forcing the issue (and risking pitchfork time) the global elite give way to some extent.
The liberals are right in their claims about allowing immigrants: it turns out having a job and a home and enough to eat is enough to turn European Muslims away from extremism. Having lost that avenue of attack and under increasingly intelligent mechanized surveillance Muslim extremism is slowly chipped away. Religious terror attacks happen occasionally, but become small, rare, unsupported by any real organization, and conducted by obviously insane people.
As it becomes obvious unaugmented humans are completely eclipsed by the abilities of robots work stops being seen as desirable, and capitalist values begin to decline. It's no longer seen as shameful to live on welfare. Welfare is also not an unbearable burden on society, no matter how many people choose to accept it. People spend their time volunteering, seeking self-enrichment, or just drinking beer and watching sports. Several government programs try, unsuccessfully, to motivate this last group but it's not seen as economically urgent.
Governments tread a careful line between the demands of the rich and the needs of the poor. Sociology meets chaos theory in several powerful models run in supercomputers and it turns out to be much cheaper to just let people do what they want. As predicted by these models while some people choose to do very little one person in a thousand is a highly motivated and talented inventor, artist, philosopher, programmer, or other innovator. These people carry the burden of mankind's continued success, and they carry it well. They are richly rewarded. Because each human now has that chance the arts and sciences flourish. And so looking up from the decadence of an uncaring world the best and brightest, the adventuresome, ambitious, and discontent look to the stars and begin the gargantuan task of building humanity's first generation ship.