Children Will Lead the Way in “Planetary Revolution” - Michio Kaku
Our children, already used to the concept of global communication and growing up using new information technologies, will lead the way in a “planetary revolution” that will cause qualitative shifts not only in technology but in the structure of human civilisation.
Our children, already used to the concept of global communication and growing up using new information technologies, will lead the way in a “planetary revolution” that will cause qualitative shifts not only in technology but in the structure of human civilisation. This was the thinking put forward by Michio Kaku, a world-famous physicist and futurologist, and Professor in Theoretical Physics, at the City College of New York at the 10th Annual Meeting of Yalta European Strategy, on Friday September 20.
Mr Kaku presented his vision of the potential directions in which human civilization could develop. In the future he described, ‘first-type civilization’ will see human beings gain control over natural phenomena (volcanoes and earthquakes) and construct artificial cities in the sky. ‘Second-type civilization’ will be reached at the point human beings have exhausted the Earth’s energy and begin moving to other planets, whilst in ‘third-type civilisation’ the only energy source will be the Galaxy.
“Current civilization should be known as ‘zero-type civilization’, Michio Kaku believes, “because we still get energy from dead plants. But, we are witnessing the beginning of ‘first-type civilization’ – a high tech civilization. We can see it everywhere. The Internet is a prototype of ‘first-type technologies’. English and Chinese (Mandarin) are languages of ‘first-type civilization’. Football is a sport of ‘first-type civilization’. We are witnesses to the beginning of this civilization.”
According to the American futurologist, our children are leading the way in the transition to ‘first-type civilization’. “They don’t play with their neighbors. They play with people from Australia, Russia, or Borneo. They think in the same way ‘first-type civilization’ people will think,” the futurologist continued.
As a part of this revolution, new technology will not only change reality but also challenge civilization with a number of complex issues. Information will become the basis of people’s tangible wealth. Because of this, education will become even more important, , to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to earn their living by information processing. In the near future, when you will be able to print a deadly virus from a bioprinter, the issue of biological safety will be as important as the issue of cyber-security. AIDS, the physicist thinks, will be capable of being transmitted via human airways, threatening 98% of the population. Laser generators will be accessible to all, in the near future, and climate change will leave many cities (including the largest in the world) without fresh water.
Nevertheless, Michio Kaku is optimistic about the future. “The good news is that children will lead the way in this revolution. They want to be participants of planetary civilization. And they will create it.” he said.
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