There is something to be said for an increased standard of living. However, all technological advance has a shadow side . Science has led to modern medicine, but it has also led to the threat of nuclear destruction. Our genetic heritage and cultural heritage has enabled the human population to grow immensely, but we are growing at a rate that will produce more people than the world s limited resources can support. Thus, many will continue to die slow, painful deaths due to starvation.
Sociocultural evolution is a double-edged sword.
One of humanity s most urgent tasks in the years ahead is to increase our understanding of the dynamics of sociocultural evolution so that we can find ways to control its direction and make it more responsive to human needs and ideals. 18 Future generations depend on it. It is equally evident, however, that if we fail to effectively manage the detrimental consequences of our misuse of these technologies, it could cost our very survival. The most advantaged among us cannot withstand such things as nuclear destruction or environmental catastrophe. As Plato so poignantly pointed out, necessity is the mother of invention , and so it was.