I'm sitting here listening to Mozart's Symphony No. 40 on my laptop and reveling in his absolute musical genius.
Suppose you were able to bring Mozart 200 years into the present. Never mind cars, airplanes, television, computers, telephones and the rest of the technological and social changes he'd encounter; how would you explain digital recording to him?
This was a little thought exercise I actually had about twenty years ago while driving across the Bay Bridge one night. I had my second-generation Sony Discman (how quaint it seems now) plugged into the car stereo and was blasting that same symphony as I headed across the bay to visit friends in Albany. Or maybe it was to cruise UC Berkeley. I don't remember at this point. Both happened with pretty much the same regularity.
Anyhow, I wondered what Mozart would think if he were in the car with me; would he think recorded music was some form of witchcraft, or with enough explanation and possibly a trip to a recording studio, would he be able to comprehend and process the science behind it, or would he just go have a total breakdown?
This little fantasy serves to remind me just how far we've come in a mere 200 years and makes me wonder what life will be like in another two centuries (assuming we aren't wiped out by an errant asteroid, blow ourselves up, or otherwise bring about our own destruction) since technological development is progressing at an ever-increasing pace. If any one of us were transported to the year 2212, would we be able to understand any of what we encountered?
I seriously doubt any of us would view technology of the 23rd century as witchcraft since we would come armed with more of a technological mindset than Mozart's time would've provided him, but how would we react to AI (almost a given), routine commercial space flight and bases—if not cities—on the moon (again, a near certainty), not to mention the very real possibility of finally—if anyone else is really is out there—having made contact (if only by way of electronic signals) with alien civilizations?
Would it be more culture shock than our puny little 21st century minds could handle?
Share you thoughts in the comments below.
Admission: I spend a large amount of time thinking about this subject! Imagine a fax 200 years ago would have indeed been witchcraft. Oh I want to see the world of 2212.
I just wonder if medical science will become advanced enough to replace virtually every body part; clone a new version of your body for you; and/or be able to download the entirety of your brain into a different body or android. All of which would make you virtually immortal. If you have enough money, of course. And will we live to see it?
I can honestly tell you that I say this to friends and co-workers at least 5 times a week. We live in amazing times.
iPads, microwave ovens, coffee makers (not percolators, remember them?!), plasma TVs WITH remote control, home computers, cell phones, we didn't have any of these when I was in high school in the early 70's. Al Gore hadn't even thought about inventing the internet back then. Back then I told my buddy that someone should invent some type of [record] player that played concerts and movies. I had an 8 track player/RECORDER and my trusty AKAI Reel to Reel.
I can't even imagine what pre-recorded entertainment will be like in 200 years. Maybe by then we'll be able to recapture our past life energies to mingle with other energies. Hope we can be there for that!
Like things will keep progressing. You've seen "Idiocracy," right? 😉
Shhh! I'm in a rare positive mindset here.
I think those of us really into science fiction would be able to cope. Much of today's technology was the subject of sci-fi not that many years ago.
They explored that on Star Trek TNG – the 1%ers went nuts because of the lack of money and abundance of morality. If religion takes over, then we'll have very little to adjust to. We might even have to adjust to the lack of technology.