What Did 137 Years of PopSci Predict for the Future?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around predictions made by Popular Science over 137 years regarding future technologies and societal advancements. Participants explore various aspects of these predictions, including flying cars, energy solutions, leisure time, and the role of computers, while reflecting on the implications of these visions for a utopian future.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Historical

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants recall predictions of flying cars, cheap energy, and robots that do everything for us, questioning the feasibility of these visions.
  • One participant argues that the idea of computers doing everything for us may be more anti-utopian than utopian, suggesting a divergence in views on technology's role in society.
  • Another participant reflects on the historical context of these predictions, noting that some visions may have been relevant to the past rather than the present or future.
  • There is a mention of a specific prediction from 1925 regarding traffic congestion solutions, with a participant expressing skepticism about its realization by 2016.
  • Several participants discuss the origins and evolution of the term "Popular Science," with one noting its potential association with pseudoscience.
  • Participants share links to the Popular Science archive, emphasizing the longevity of the publication and its historical significance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on the predictions, with no clear consensus on whether these visions represent a utopian future. Some view the predictions as outdated or unrealistic, while others find value in the historical context of these ideas.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the ambiguity in defining a "utopian future," which may depend on individual perspectives and interpretations of technological advancements.

How far away is the ideal utopian vision of the future

  • 100 years

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 200 years

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 350 years

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • 500+ years

    Votes: 2 40.0%

  • We're here

    Votes: 2 40.0%

  • No opinion

    Votes: 1 20.0%
  • Total voters
    5
axiom
Messages
14
Reaction score
23
Who remembers the future...?

Flying cars/The Car of Tomorrow...Cheap Energy...Unlimited Free/Leisure Time...Space Travel...Robots...Computers that's do everything for us

future7.jpg
 
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I generally do not like debating definitions but... the answer to your question really depends entirely on one's definition of the "utopian future". For example, you mention
axiom said:
Computers that's do everything for us
but I myself find that more anti-utopian than utopian.
 
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Based on the picture, I'd say that's the "future" that existed in about 1947. Today's future is better.
 
russ_watters said:
Based on the picture, I'd say that's the "future" that existed in about 1947.
Or maybe looking at the year 2000 (en l'an 2000 caption) from about 1900, with what appears to be a sound recorder using wax cylinders, and powered by batteries. The man's sideburns and dress suggest a date quite a bit earlier than the 1940s.
 
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This was supposed to be in the Year 1950.
Source
9LX0H7P.jpg
I'd very much like to visit a city like this :rolleyes:. At least they put the word "may". 1925 and they already had a solution for traffic congestion... theoretically... I mean, we still have problems of traffic congestion in my country and it is currently the year 2016 o0).

Funny thing is that I read it says: "Popular Science" and this was my first time hearing that term. So I check out what it meant and found various definitions in between one saying that one problem with "popular science" is that it can introduce elements of pseudoscience.

Not my kind of science to be honest.

So I learned today about "popular science". To think that it is so... popular.
 
Psinter said:
Funny thing is that I read it says: "Popular Science"
This is a magazine published in the U.S. Back in the 1920s it was called "Popular Science Monthly." It is still being published, but the name now is Popular Science.
 
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