The Exponential Human – Social and Ethical Challenges in a Chaotic World

Abstract

The megatrends of the Exponential Era will bring numerous benefits to humanity, including longer and healthier lives, general abundance, better transportation, more awareness of and harmony with the environment, and a noticeable reduction in mundane and physical labor. But it does come with a volume and velocity that we are not accustomed to, making it difficult to adapt. It causes social, political, and ethical challenges – just like COVID‐19 has and future pandemics will continue to do. This chapter examines some of these challenges. A workless society is one of the most difficult challenges for humanity to grapple with in the Exponential Era. In the Exponential Era, the only limitation to synchronous global communication is network load and time delays measured by the distance electrons have to travel point to point at nearly the speed of light.