On the "inevitable singularity"

Unfortunately I do not have much time to write this month, as I am quite busy with other things. Today, though, I have an essay I would like to share: 

A recurrent theme in modern literature and philosophy is concern about the effects of technology on our humanity, a concern that has existed since the rate at which technology increases became too rapid to contemplate. Wallace Stegner expresses this concern in his essay “The Wilderness Idea,” in which he says that without another frontier humankind will be committed to a world defined and controlled by technology. Stegner is quite correct in stating that the concept of the frontier is behind us, and that technology will ultimately determine our way of life. Technological increase has been proven to be exponential and is inherently anti-individualistic, and technology naturally breeds dependence. Furthermore, the only frontier remaining is one that destroys individuality rather than promoting a self-sufficient pioneer lifestyle.

As any scientist will confirm, technology increases at a torrent pace and will only increase faster as time goes on. This has been proven in almost all fields of science, and most intellectuals regard the “technological singularity” as an inevitable conclusion. For example, in computer science, a theory known as Moore’s Law holds that scientists will be able to double a microchip’s computing power every two years until computers are capable of performing any calculation infinitely quickly. This inevitable increase helps to prove Stenger’s thesis, as it signifies that technology is impossible to supplant or remove from society. 

More importantly, technology naturally breeds dependence. Consider all of the major industries that define people’s lifestyles in today’s world: agriculture, transportation, and consumer goods. All of these industries are highly dependent on technology and will continue to utilize new technology as it is invented and it is completely inconceivable that any of these industries will abandon the technology on which they are based. This principle, combined with the fact that technology will continue to increase, yield only one conclusion: technology is and always will be a part of our lifestyles and society, proving that Stenger’s is correct in stating that a “Brave New World” scenario is unavoidable.

Stegner’s main point is that without a frontier or wilderness, mankind is committed to this dependence on technology. Stegner is quite correct in this assertion—the only frontier open to mankind is, as science fiction tells, us, outer space. However, this is not true wilderness in the sense that Stegner would like it to be—rather than promoting individualism as previous frontiers have been, space exploration encourages federalism and dependence on technology. Since sophisticated equipment is required for space exploration, the common man is no longer able to become a self-sufficient pioneer. Instead, only strong, central governments have the ability to perform the necessary research and build the equipment needed for space travel. Thus, no “wilderness” can save us from our inevitable fate—we are indeed committed to a society defined by our technology. However, Stegner is far too pessimistic about his conclusion—he forgets that technology has the capacity to meet all of our needs, destroying our individuality and self-sufficiency but creating a world without hardship.