In 1889 Thomas Curtis Clark wrote “The world of today differs from that of Napoleon more than his world differed from that of Julius Caesar.” He attributed that change to the railways.
So according to Clark the world had changed more in the nineteenth century than it had in the previous eighteen centuries. And it is probably true.
So the question is did the rate of change continue in the twentieth century? And can we expect it to continue into the twenty-first century.
I think it did. To name a few examples: the airplane, the semiconductor, radio, TV and the iPad.
And will it continue? I’d say yes. Some examples of what is coming: Driver-less transportation, the discovery of other life in the universe, the end of starvation, new ethics and drugs that help us control suffering.
What a great time to be alive. I don’t buy the pessimistic view that our best years are behind us.
Opportunities abound.