I was beginning to wonder when somebody would bring up the possibility of being born in the future, as opposed to the past. I think 2200 would probably be a great time to be born. By the year 2100, I predict that we will pretty much have a complete handle on how biological systems work. There will still be a few loose ends here and there, but I believe that medicine will have advanced to the point where almost all diseases will be easily curable. That will leave only interstellar space travel as mankind’s remaining technological obstacle. But this could be resolved within the next two centuries if we put enough effort into it. By the beginning of the 23rd century, materials engineering will have advanced to the point where we will be able to do almost anything that it is possible to do. This may be as far as our species goes, though. Overpopulation may ultimately be our downfall, and we may have only two or three hundred years to enjoy our newfound maturity before we start to collapse under the weight of our own success. By the year 2500, social disorder caused by food shortages and overcrowding may be the beginning of the end of our way of life. Our species will never disappear entirely, of course, but it may not continue to exist in an advanced technological state. So I’m guessing that humankind’s heyday will be the period between 2200 and 2500 A.D.
