Abstract:
The comment that predicting the future is hazardous (as any gambler knows) has been made so often that it is trite. Yet there is a need to look at the possible social outcomes of particular policies, especially when we have limited resources to invest. The problem is that, unlike the physical sciences, the social sciences have no established formulae on which to base their predictions. Human beings are delightfully unpredictable! But there are some things that are fairly certain. Many writers
believe that the impact of technology will be overwhelming, comprehensive, rapid, unstoppable, and in many respects comparable to the first industrial revolution.
Journal issue: