Though Plato gets almost all the details wrong in his lectures on the Age of Mouldwarp, the broad picture he presents of our world is pretty much accurate. The problem is that this picture isn't all that surprising or insightful. The Age of Mouldwarp was a materialistic, violent, selfish time, in which people became obsessed with the mindless acquisition of useless information, and never paused to consider the consequences of their actions on the future of their species and planet. The future, though, isn't exactly a picnic either. According to Ackroyd, the 38th century is an amorphous period, bathed in dreamy light and populated by angels.
Reality exists in more than four dimensions and there are many, many different sexes.
No Londoner ever leaves the confines of the city because they've been taught from birth that there isn't any reason to leave. What's worse, these people of the future don't even wonder what's outside the city gates. The future, as it turns out, is a fool's paradise where individuality is not allowed, or even imaginable, and speculation about anything is considered subversive. Plato eventually gets into trouble with the authorities for inquiring a little too closely into the nature of the past. Plato's lectures were previously considered mere harmless diversions.