How Likely

[BL2KTN]

Given the exponential growth in technology, how likely do you think it is that humans will continue to advance until they can manipulate space and time? It doesn't matter to me if it takes 100 years, 1,000 years, or one million years. And if that is the case, how likely is it that future humans might resurrect the dead through this manipulation?

Consider that in 100 years we went from the pony express to sending messages through the air across the globe in a second.

 

[True Scotsman]

Given the exponential growth in technology, how likely do you think it is that humans will continue to advance until they can manipulate space and time? It doesn't matter to me if it takes 100 years, 1,000 years, or one million years. And if that is the case, how likely is it that future humans might resurrect the dead through this manipulation?

Consider that in 100 years we went from the pony express to sending messages through the air across the globe in a second.

I read an article a while back that said NASA is experimenting with that and that they had demonstrated that it is possible. We know that gravity distorts space time. I hope that we will one day be able to do this on a large enough scale to create a warp drive. Your point about the progress made in the last 100 years is well taken. If there is as big a difference between now and 2100 as there was between now and 1900 we are in for some exciting times. I hope I live to see some of them.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

Given the exponential growth in technology, how likely do you think it is that humans will continue to advance until they can manipulate space and time? It doesn't matter to me if it takes 100 years, 1,000 years, or one million years. And if that is the case, how likely is it that future humans might resurrect the dead through this manipulation?

Consider that in 100 years we went from the pony express to sending messages through the air across the globe in a second.

...about 0% chance.

 

[Tree of Life]

hmmm. New Heavens and New Earth via human ingenuity?

 

[BL2KTN]

hmmm. New Heavens and New Earth via human ingenuity?

In comparison to 2000 years ago we're already there. But yes, you've got my point.

 

[2PhiloVoid]

hmmm. New Heavens and New Earth via human ingenuity?

Sure, if we can get past Seven Bowls of Judgment.....

 

[Paradoxum]

I think humans will be able to control space-time to some extent. Using worm holes, and perhaps travelling to other universes (if they exist).

I'm not sure 'Dr Who' style time travel is physically possible though. How are you imagining that the dead could be brought back through time control?

 

[Resha Caner]

Given the exponential growth in technology, how likely do you think it is that humans will continue to advance until they can manipulate space and time?

Given space-time is an abstract construct that references the material, I'd say there's no chance. Time is currently measured using cesium. So, unless we gain the ability to change the relationship between carbon and cesium, I don't think so.

And if that is the case, how likely is it that future humans might resurrect the dead through this manipulation?

Maybe, but highly unlikely. I would have to question whether the resurrected thing would just be an animated zombie.

 

[Oafman]

Warp drives work mathematically. Look up Miguel Alcubierre's work. Practically, who knows?

 

[TillICollapse]

I don't know how much stock one would place in Michio Kaku's predictions, but his predictions are that ... per the Kardashev scale ... as a global society we would attain a Type I status in 100-200 years, Type II status in a few thousand years, and Type III status in 100,000+ years. We are currently still at Type 0 ... on augmented scales I believe it's like 0.7 or some such.

Manipulating space and time in a controlled and useful manner ? Hmm. From what I understand, a Type I civilization can efficiently harness the power of an entire planet, Type II is harnessing the power of the entire solar system, including it's star, perhaps even harvesting power from black holes in some fashion.

I may guess that what is being suggested in the OP wouldn't be a "normal process" until we reach Type II status, but that's a guess obviously.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

The ability to manipulate space and/or time while full of fantastic applications will face an up hill battle for one reason. It is essentially a weapon repurposed for peaceful uses. Additionally, this would involve large amounts of energy which means even genuine accidents are catastrophic.

 

[BL2KTN]

The ability to manipulate space and/or time while full of fantastic applications will face an up hill battle for one reason. It is essentially a weapon repurposed for peaceful uses. Additionally, this would involve large amounts of energy which means even genuine accidents are catastrophic.

Such could be said for the invention of fire.

 

[BL2KTN]

I think humans will be able to control space-time to some extent. Using worm holes, and perhaps travelling to other universes (if they exist).

I'm not sure 'Dr Who' style time travel is physically possible though. How are you imagining that the dead could be brought back through time control?

To answer that feels a bit like asking a caveman from 50,000 years ago how humanity could secure online transactions. Neither he nor I can reliably conceive the technical though we may be able to conceptualize the idea.

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

Such could be said for the invention of fire.

But one can defend buildings against fire with corvette, dirt, or other common materials. Wormholes and such would negate defenses in the way that ballistic missiles negated systems of the 1960s

 

[BL2KTN]

But one can defend buildings against fire with corvette, dirt, or other common materials. Wormholes and such would negate defenses in the way that ballistic missiles negated systems of the 1960s

We survived the 1960s and are now incredibly more advanced.

 

[ananda]

I believe that we live in a simulation of sorts. Sort of like the holodecks found on Star Trek. There is true reality, outside of the holodeck, and a false reality, found inside. The materials of the true reality is used to construct the false reality.

Being in the "false reality", the technology we have in here might eventually get to the point where it can manipulate space and time within the false reality, but IMO will never be able to manipulate the true reality.

 

[Paradoxum]

To answer that feels a bit like asking a caveman from 50,000 years ago how humanity could secure online transactions. Neither he nor I can reliably conceive the technical though we may be able to conceptualize the idea.

Well I don't even understand the question being asked.

Once you die, you're gone. People aren't currently saved (before they are dead) by a future generation. We've never seen such a thing happen.

If they are merely making copies of dead people... the result will be a just a copy, not the person that actually died.

That's my opinion anyway; perhaps I'm wrong. But I ask what circumstance is being imagined, because people do die. They aren't magicked away to the future.

 

[BL2KTN]

Well I don't even understand the question being asked.

Once you die, you're gone. People aren't currently saved (before they are dead) by a future generation. We've never seen such a thing happen.

If they are merely making copies of dead people... the result will be a just a copy, not the person that actually died.

That's my opinion anyway; perhaps I'm wrong. But I ask what circumstance is being imagined, because people do die. They aren't magicked away to the future.

Go a million years in the future and imagine an advanced society of humans billions of times more advanced than us. Now imagine they seek not only to cure death in the present (after all that should happen in centuries). Instead they chose to warp space and time to go back in non-detectable ways, taking the electrical and quantum pattern of the brain to the future. I'm not sure that would be any more a copy than splitting embryos.

Of course that's just the solution of a comparative neanderthal dreaming of a society post technological singularity. In reality we don't even know what we don't know in that regards. =)

 

[jacknife]

I honestly have no idea man sounds dangerous. Like something that could end the world with the last word being spoken being "what would happen if I do this?"

 

[Paradoxum]

Go a million years in the future and imagine an advanced society of humans billions of times more advanced than us. Now imagine they seek not only to cure death in the present (after all that should happen in centuries). Instead they chose to warp space and time to go back in non-detectable ways, taking the electrical and quantum pattern of the brain to the future.

Perhaps that's possible, but I wonder if that is just a copy. Electricity and quantum states are physical things. If you take the real thing, dead people would have no brains. If they make a copy, the original person still dies.

Perhaps physics works differently than that, but that's how I understand it.

I'm not sure that would be any more a copy than splitting embryos.

Embryos have no personal identity, so it's a completely different issue.

I just don't want false hope.