rythomas505: Michio I couldn't help but notice a strong case towards medical insurance in Part 1. Isn't it a little inhuman to offer the most advanced medical care to the richest people? You would think with the advancements you could generate a more efficient and cheaper form of medicine.
Dr. Kaku: In the series we wanted to present the fantastic opportunities of future technologies without glossing over the potential social problems. Therefore, we decided to focus on medical insurance only because it was one of many challenges created by biotechnology. For example, in the future, genetic enhancement may become a possibility and some people fear that we may have a genetic divide. Some people might be rich enough to enhance their children to become smarter, stronger, and more beautiful than others. So we might have a genetic apartheid in the future. The insurance sequence in the series was only meant to alert the audience to a host of ethical problems posed by these fantastic new technologies.
scshute: Dr. Kaku, will there even be such a concept as "privacy" 50 years from now, or is that going to be as quaint as the horse and buggy? And what will be the consequences of this on our society?
Dr. Kaku: When George Orwell wrote the novel 1984, he feared Big Brother. Today we know that Big Brother is not the problem. The real problem is "Little Brother." Thousands of nosy busybodies, neighbors, as well as criminals and identity thieves are the real problem. For example, in the future tabloid journalists will go to barbershops to get all the hair from celebrities to analyze their genes for embarrassing genetic defects. In the future, everybody will try to gain access to other peoples' genomes because we are curious about their genetic history. With computers, we will have chips scattered by the billions in our clothing, furniture, and walls, but we will have the capability to shut them off. Privacy per se is not the problem. We will be able to shut off our cell phones, our iPods, our GPS systems, etc. The problem is that busybodies and criminals want to follow the trail left by our computer imprints to perhaps get "dirt" on our past or steal our identity. I personally believe that we should pass stronger laws against identity theft and criminal computer hacking, but unfortunately there will always be an arms race between citizens and busybodies and criminals.
Discovery: Dr. Kaku, thank you for being here tonight, and for sharing your insights. Do you have any final comments to add, before we have to close?
Dr. Kaku: Our future is not yet written. We have within ourselves the democratic power to mould this technology in any way we desire. I am a scientist. We scientists create these wondrous technologies, hoping that they will elevate the human condition. However, ultimately it is the people who will decide how this technology is used and this will be done democratically. In the future, we will have the power of a Greek god — the power over life, the power to animate the inanimate, but will we have the wisdom of Solomon to go with the power of a god? This is where you, the audience, comes in. You will decide democratically how this technology will mature in the coming decades. This is your job.
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