Abstract
What sets humans apart from other animals is not the use of technology: Many mammals are innovative in making simple tools to assist in life. But it is the sheer scale of technological development that distinguishes humans. Over the millennia, people have invented technologies, used them, and enhanced them. The once-innovative technologies become mundane elements of everyday contemporary life as human societies progress. The technological developments of the last decades have dramatically altered most humans’ way of life and perceptions of the myriad elements of the immediate and distant environment. It would not be an exaggeration to view humans as standing at the cusp of profound social changes that are in line with those following the invention of writing or the steam engine. Therefore, now is a good time to stop for a moment and ponder the forces that make such new developments possible. What should we pay specific attention to when we attempt to make sense of where we have succeeded as a species, and where we have failed?