Is Technological Progress A Myth?
One of the biggest accomplishments of the 20th century was mankind's Moon landing(s). In the late 1960s to mid 1970s, humanity sent several astronauts to the Moon. Also, humanity sent numerous space probes to neighbouring planets (like Venus, Mars and Jupiter). So, it seems like humans managed to accomplish certain very impressive feats. But, that does not imply that technological progress can go on indefinitely...nor does it imply that technology can solve all of the world's problems. Because technology has its limitations and weaknesses (which we will later discuss in this article).
One of the fundamental weaknesses of technology is that technology cannot create energy nor resources out of thin air. Technology requires extracting and consuming finite (and mostly nonrenewable) energy and resources to exist. Sorry, but there is no such thing as perpeutal motion machines. Here is a little "secret"...all modern, industrial technologies directly or indirectly depend on fossil fuels (and other finite and nonrenewable resources) to exist. Of course, finite and nonrenwable resources will eventually run out. Especially when there is 8,000,000,000+ people extracting and consuming those said resources (nevermind, the 200,000+ extra humans added to this planet, each and everyday. Births minus deaths).
"What about renewable energy and resources? Wouldn't that be sustainable?" Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that the overwhelming majority of resources (that human civilization depends on) are nonrenewable and finite..like fossil fuels, mineral/metal ores and top soil. So-called "renewable" energy devices (like solar panels and wind turbines) are made out of finite and nonrenewable minerals and metal ores (like Rare Earth Metals and various precious metals i.e. gold, silver, copper, and silver). Not to mention the fossil fuel-powered machines and industrial processes used to convert those said raw materials into "renewable" energy devices. Nope, "renewable" energies is not remotely "sustainable" and "eco-friendly".
Other "renewable" energies aka biomass (like ethanol and wood) are not sustainable (nor eco-friendly) for numerous reasons. Setting aside from the fact that biomass is not truly "renewable" (as in plant-based materials and energies will quickly be exhausted and depleted from their excessive usage by our absolutely enormous, global human population), the extraction and distribution of biomass resources and energy requires yet-more energy from fossil fuels (and other finite and nonrenewable resources...like the metals used to make the chainsaws and axes used to harvest wood and other biomass. Just to name a few problems with biomass energy).
Setting aside the fact that "renewable" energies (like solar, wind and biomass) are not really renewable, there is also the problem that they cannot be scaled up nearly sufficiently to replace the energy that industrial civilization gets from fossil fuels. For example, there simply isn't enough wood and agricultural products to increase the scale of biomass energy production to meet the energy demands of the absolutely, enormous human population. Nor is there enough precious metals left in the Earth to scale up solar panels and wind turbines to come anywhere near global energy demand, provided by fossil fuels.
Of course, we live in a world where energy and resources are becoming increasingly-scarce, so if humans were actually logical and rational beings, they would be down-scaling industrial activities and/or discouraging human population growth/excessive human breeding. Unfortunately, humans are not-so-intelligent...so we continue to delude ourselves with the myth of never-ending technological "progress". Like how we will eventually colonize Mars and other planets (as if that will ever happen). So humanity continues to rapaciously pillage the natural world, human population continues to grow unabated (after all, capitalism depends on never-ending human population growth. Which is why the elites/status quo vehemently deny the reality of human overpopulation)...all the while, we pretend that we will be colonizing Mars by 2100 AD. Truth be told, there probably won't be a single human left on this planet left by 2100 AD. So much for humanity's hubristic ambitions of colonizing Mars by the 22nd century.
In order to colonize other planets would require the discovery of an unlimited energy source that is even more powerful than fossil fuels. The chances of such an energy source ever being discovered is about as likely as Santa Claus and Easter Bunny actually existing...meaning that it is a pipe-dream. It is obvious (to any rational and intelligent person) that there doesn't exist any energy source/resource base that can replace fossil fuels. To maintain industrial civilization, at its current level, for much longer. Let alone expand it to other planets...yet many (if not most) people think otherwise...because they believe in the myth of technological progress. Indoctrinated to them by mainstream media and our deluded society.
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