Tools or Traps?: Austin Macauley

The invention of new tools has pushed humanity to new heights for millennia. But as the pace and power of technological change have accelerated over recent decades, so too have major societal challenges such as sagging health, pyrrhic connectivity, and ecological annihilation.

This leaves us facing tough questions: Have we lost sight of the short-term pain/long-term gain trade-off at the heart of human progress? By seeking technological quick fixes, are we simply spinning the innovation flywheel ever faster, exacerbating the very problems we're trying to solve? And why do politicians not curb our self-destructive desire for instant gratification?

Tackling these issues to stave off the rising risk of societal collapse will be hard, but meaningful change always is.