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[DragoonKain]

I've been thinking a lot about science and space and the universe lately, and I had a question that I was thinking about. Do you think there's a limit to technological or scientific advancement?

I'm not talking about humans per se. I'm talking about for any and all life forms. Whether it's a billion years from now or a trillion years from now, based on the laws of physics and the available elements and materials in the universe, do you think at some point there will be a point in time in the distant future where a species maxes out and hits their ceiling on all advancement and there's just nowhere else they can go?

Or do you think technological or scientific advancement is infinite in possibilities?

 

[Sidney Prescott]

I don't think so, but I'm not super clued up in regards to all that stuff. I just think we'll always find ways to make something better or develop things further. Maybe we'll hit a bit of a slow point in the very far future, but I would always expect it to advance as we learn more and more.

Although to branch on to another point: I do wonder how far video game graphics can realistically go, what happens if we hit life-like graphics? Can you really get better than that. I feel like some games are already becoming crazy realistic.

 

[Ikutachi]

Although to branch on to another point: I do wonder how far video game graphics can realistically go, what happens if we hit life-like graphics? Can you really get better than that. I feel like some games are already becoming crazy realistic.

We still need advancements in environmental destruction to go with that.

 

[QSD]

I'd say that the limits of technological development seem largely set by the limits of the human mind. It's difficult to say what shape this would take in other, hypothetical extraterrestrial species. If they have similar evolutionary constraints, they will also be subject to the same sort of problems that humans will face. E.G. will we be able to responsibly handle powerful and potentially destructive technologies, or will we end up destroying ourselves before too soon?

 

[Punished Miku]

Science is just reality. We learn more about reality and can do more. The limit will always be there, because science isn't supernatural. If reality doesn't support something being possible, advancement wouldn't happen.

 

[Alebrije]

There is a limit but we are discovered just like 5% of it....

 

[Pagusas]

There is a limit but we are discovered just like 5% of it....

i feel like thats being generous, we're probably more likely at 0.25% of it

 

[BigBooper]

Never gonna hit it.

 

[BarringGaffner]

Let’s just get to a dyson sphere and then coast.

 

[Rentahamster]

I've been thinking a lot about science and space and the universe lately, and I had a question that I was thinking about. Do you think there's a limit to technological or scientific advancement?

I'm not talking about humans per se. I'm talking about for any and all life forms. Whether it's a billion years from now or a trillion years from now, based on the laws of physics and the available elements and materials in the universe, do you think at some point there will be a point in time in the distant future where a species maxes out and hits their ceiling on all advancement and there's just nowhere else they can go?

Or do you think technological or scientific advancement is infinite in possibilities?

You might need to get a little more specific with how you're measuring "advancement".

If you mean knowledge, there's always going to be stuff to learn. There could be a theoretical point where we know "everything there is to know", but I'm not sure if that's even likely. As long as we are not aware of what we don't know, we will never be maxed out, and I'm not sure if there really is a way to confirm that there isn't anything left that we don't know.

 

[Amey]

No.

 

[Virt McPolygon]

No, because living things will continue to evolve and change. What is this toilet thought?

 

[Romulus]

No.

 

[DragoonKain]

You might need to get a little more specific with how you're measuring "advancement".

If you mean knowledge, there's always going to be stuff to learn. There could be a theoretical point where we know "everything there is to know", but I'm not sure if that's even likely. As long as we are not aware of what we don't know, we will never be maxed out, and I'm not sure if there really is a way to confirm that there isn't anything left that we don't know.

That may be true, but to play devil’s advocate, to expand this say billions of years into the future, say a certain species has figured out all the things about the universe we don’t know and all the questions that right now are total mysteries have all been solved. Then at that point they may be able to know based on that knowledge that there is nothing more than can be done.

For example, it is not know if we can ever create something that can travel the speed of light. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t. Say at some point in the future it is found out it’s impossible through technological advancements and discovery.

So for example maybe life is “maxed out” at say 95% of light speed. That’s just for one aspect of technology though.

Again, just playing devil’s advocate. We don’t know what we don’t know so we can never rule anything out is one line of thinking. But we also don’t know what we will discover many years into the distant future and maybe one of those things we do discover is knowing exactly how the universe and physics works down to every facet, much of how we’ve learned about many other things throughout history.

 

[CertifiedKiwi]

There is no limit. The definition of what advancement is, can be quiet subjective

 

[Soodanim]

That may be true, but to play devil’s advocate, to expand this say billions of years into the future, say a certain species has figured out all the things about the universe we don’t know and all the questions that right now are total mysteries have all been solved. Then at that point they may be able to know based on that knowledge that there is nothing more than can be done.

For example, it is not know if we can ever create something that can travel the speed of light. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t. Say at some point in the future it is found out it’s impossible through technological advancements and discovery.

So for example maybe life is “maxed out” at say 95% of light speed. That’s just for one aspect of technology though.

Again, just playing devil’s advocate. We don’t know what we don’t know so we can never rule anything out is one line of thinking. But we also don’t know what we will discover many years into the distant future and maybe one of those things we do discover is knowing exactly how the universe and physics works down to every facet, much of how we’ve learned about many other things throughout history.

In that example there's a limit and we've reached it, so the only thing left is the good old phrase: necessity is the mother of invention.

If humanity went 10,000 years without discovering anything new, we'd stagnate like crazy even with all the art. At least by that time there will be rather large back catalogues of everything to keep us entertained.

 

[Boss Mog]

Yeah, feelings are the new limit. They supersede all science.

 

[West Texas CEO]

 

[ItsGreat]

In that example there's a limit and we've reached it, so the only thing left is the good old phrase: necessity is the mother of invention.

If humanity went 10,000 years without discovering anything new, we'd stagnate like crazy even with all the art. At least by that time there will be rather large back catalogues of everything to keep us entertained.

I feel like the 'arts' have been stagnant since the year 2000. During the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s lots of things were happening/happened that were perfected - Christmas specials, sports specials, pop music, summer films -

There are no movements, no one breaking the mold. No punks, no swearing on TV, no meaningful hype for football games. No spectacle of a new Christmas.

It's all so fucking safe. 2003 could be now. (bar everyone staring at screens)

 

[Soodanim]

I feel like the 'arts' have been stagnant since the year 2000. During the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s lots of things were happening/happened that were perfected - Christmas specials, sports specials, pop music, summer films -

There are no movements, no one breaking the mold. No punks, no swearing on TV, no meaningful hype for football games. No spectacle of a new Christmas.

It's all so fucking safe. 2003 could be now. (bar everyone staring at screens)

The world still liked Bill Cosby though

 

[DeafTourette]

Is there a limit? I think the beginning of your thought process should be the Kardashev scale. Right now I think we're at Type 0.

Kardashev scale - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[bender]

Supremely limited. Resources are finite. Our time both singularly and as a species are finite. There are hard limits to the reality we live in.

 

[bitbydeath]

No, because everything we do has impacts. Eg. We solve 1 thing, 2+ more things become prevalent from what we solved.

The only limits are our imaginations.

 

[nkarafo]

I guess a type 3 civilization is the limit?

Also when we achieve immortality and find a way to teleport in every possible location in the universe in no time.

 

[ResilientBanana]

Whatever time and space can manipulate, we can to. Fusion reactors are going to be the way to do that, so long as they can get enough mass.

 

[triplestation]

what a great question

world now would look so unfathomably different to people in the 1500s

in another 500 years i imagine if you time travelled 500 years forward you'd be both terrified and amazed at what you see

shit would make cartoons seem more like reality

cosmic quantum tech i think is gonna be the thing

real life matrix shit

you could literally be a flying superhero and feel it all indistinguishable from real life

theyll remember how 500 years ago us neanderthals tried it with fat vr headware with a miniscule 4k resolution

i bet 500 years from now you'll be able to transport your consciousness to other planets just recreationally

even clone consciousness

theyll get bored enough to create whole new parameters unlike anything we ever knew

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

Near-infinite possibilities. Consider simple things like quality-of-life improvements or using a new material for the same thing i.e. more textiles and building materials are using bamboo in novel ways that weren't available 50 years ago. There are novelties from 100s or 1000s of years ago that never became popular or interesting-enough for someone to copy it widely.

 

[V1LÆM]

maybe there is a limit to science/tech but there is also a limit to humans. our tiny little minds can only comprehend so much. i do think if we manage to survive the next 100-200 years then it'll still be a long time before we ever reach that limit.

elephants, dolphins, and chimps are all smart creatures but you don't see them driving cars, using phones, or communicating globally. they've reached their limit as far as their evolution has got them. we'll reach ours too at some point (again, if we don't kill ourselves off). for all we know there could be big brained aliens out there in the universe that can do so much more than we can ever begin to dream of.

 

[FunkMiller]

Nope.

Even when the human brain has reached the zenith of its capabilities, there’s every chance we will have perfected AI, which can continue the scientific evolutionary process. There’s always something new to learn. Even if some advanced species understands every aspect of the universe, that knowledge in and of itself would likely give rise to new questions.

 

[Rentahamster]

Again, just playing devil’s advocate. We don’t know what we don’t know so we can never rule anything out is one line of thinking. But we also don’t know what we will discover many years into the distant future and maybe one of those things we do discover is knowing exactly how the universe and physics works down to every facet, much of how we’ve learned about many other things throughout history.

Perhaps, but I find it unlikely that we'll ever truly achieve perfect knowledge. Perhaps that is just a failing of my current primitive brain. I'll let you know in a bajillion years

Perhaps the greatest question would be how to reverse entropy, since the inexorable flow of time will be the death of us all eventually. Maybe, to an advanced enough species, time is irrelevant.

 

[SpartanN92]

Genius has its limits unfortunately. Quite unlike stupidity.

 

[poppabk]

Science is just reality. We learn more about reality and can do more. The limit will always be there, because science isn't supernatural. If reality doesn't support something being possible, advancement wouldn't happen.

Yep basically this. There are fundamental limits on what is possible.

 

[GAMETA]

The only limit is reality.

Other than that, if something possible, we may be able to do it one day.

 

[lukilladog]

We don´t know, we don´t know how far reality goes.

 

[GloveSlap]

The limit will most likely be when/if the universe dies, reboots, etc. Though i guess it may be possible to survive such a thing with some kind of insanely advanced tech.

 

[SKM1]

I feel like the 'arts' have been stagnant since the year 2000. During the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s lots of things were happening/happened that were perfected - Christmas specials, sports specials, pop music, summer films -

There are no movements, no one breaking the mold. No punks, no swearing on TV, no meaningful hype for football games. No spectacle of a new Christmas.

It's all so fucking safe. 2003 could be now. (bar everyone staring at screens)

On the contrary I think there is an explosion of art now and you can mostly find it in YouTube.
The thing is that since the medium is so vast, it is less prone to monopoly and so you don't see one coherent movement taking place.



My favourite musicians are all contemporary (Yorushika, Zutomayo and Eve)
And you can cover them on YouTube and they won't copyright strike you.