We're Uncomfortable About Considering History As A

Civilization Originates In Conquest Abroad And Repression At Home.

Technology Causes Problems As Well As Solves Problems. Nobody Has Figured Out A Way To Ensure That, As Of Tomorrow, Technology Won't Create Problems. Technology Simply Means Increased Power, Which Is Why We Have The Global Problems We Face Today.

But This Was The Only Way Of Life That Humans Knew For Their First 6m Years On The Planet. In Giving It Up Over The Past Few Thousand Years, We Have Lost Our Vulnerability To Disease And Cold And Wild Animals, But We Have Also Lost Good Ways To Bring Up Children, Look After Old People, Stave Off Diabetes And Heart Disease And Understand The Real Dangers Of Everyday Life.

Two Types Of Choices Seem To Me To Have Been Crucial In Tipping The Outcomes [of The Various Societies' Histories] Towards Success Or Failure: Long-term Planning And Willingness To Reconsider Core Values. On Reflection We Can Also Recognize The Crucial Role Of These Same Two Choices For The Outcomes Of Our Individual Lives.

I've Always Been Interested In A Lot Of Things, And A Lot Of Things At The Same Time, And I Always Tried To Explain Them To Myself. I Ask A Lot Of Questions.