Poll: Do you think history will look on our time as a golden age?

[Soviet Steve]

No-one can seriously look back at a previous era and say that it was better unless there's some petty nationalist sentiment behind it like "Mongolia ruled the world clearly things were better long live Ghengis Khan" etc.

Humanity has never been this wealthy, has never been this peacefull, has never known more, has never been closer to the singularity - and in a hundred years we're going to be far better off than we are today.

So basically all past looked upon objectively tends to be a dark age.

 

[Vykrel]

perhaps scientifically/medically. it seems like every week im hearing about some new discovery or invention that seems like a pretty big deal. i think the next twenty or so years should be interesting

 

[Yopaz]

I think that our golden era ended around 2000. The economy has been declining, there's been an increasing amount of conflicts. I think we are between golden ages where the period from the 60's maybe 70's was the start of it and the 90's a minor setback that improved throughout the end of it.
I am by no means pessimistic and I wont say we're going down the drain, nor am I old enough to be swallowed by nostalgia. Technology wise we're in an increasing golden age. Politically and economically we're struggling. However I think this is just a setback before we'll enter a new golden age. Maybe we need to be torn down a bit first, or maybe we can reach new heights from where we are now. Anything can happen and I hope I'll get to live in another golden age.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

With how people actually act and live now? Yeah right...

 

[Chaza]

In my opinion there will never be a golden age. In the roman times they were great due to slaves etc.
And if there was then no this time would not be it. The recession and global warming for a start.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

I don't think so. I think it'll be seen as a time of great innovation, or at least the start of such a time, but also a time of great strife. So many wars over the last century as well as the two biggest ones in history. As much as we may have advanced over the years, no doubt that it was partiality driven by these conflicts.

 

[VincentX3]

More like the Brown&Grey age.

*Shooter reference*

 

[thespyisdead]

i guess it depends on where you live, and thus the "golden age" is a highly subjective thing from country to country.

and looking at his matter subjectively, i can only think, that only time will tell :/

 

[Midnight Crossroads]

This will probably be seen as a transitionary period of time between the turmoil of the early 20th century's collapse of large imperial states and the rise of a new, better world. We'll be more remembered for our steps towards restructuring the world than causing any real impact.

The US in particular will be seen in this era as the last great European-styled world empire.

At best, we'll be a boring footnote. We are literally the new turn of the century. Nothing terribly exciting followed by something great. Our technology is just waiting to burst into a new realm of possibilities. To the child of 2090 with a brief overview of our age, there would be a sudden burst of progress in the next decade or so.

 

[funguy2121]

We look back on history and see times like the Romans and Greeks as golden ages because of the level of progress and development they harbored.

So do you think our time will be seen by future humans as a golden age?

Edit: I was thinking more along the lines of humans in general with our development of electricity, advances in technology, medicine, aeronautics, etc.

Hell, no. We will be looked upon as the people who had the most ability to better ourselves and yet squandered the most out of simple cynicism. Maybe the next generation will do better, if they ever stop arguing like fuckin' morons on the internet over whether Call of Duty is better than Halo.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Depends on how shitty the future will be.
We tend to over-glorify the past; barring obvious catastrophe and strife, some pretend/assume that there were fewer problems back then, and how everything was soooo much better or had more merit etc.

And for the most part, it's bullshit.
There are things that are better, and things that are worse. It all depends on who you are, what you're doing and where.

 

[JesterRaiin]

No. This isn't golden age. However it is certainly an age of revolution. Never before humanity changed itself so deeply across one generation. Just think people - generation of our fathers remember world divided, Iron Curtain, black and white tvs, Plan 9 from outer space, sexual censorship, lack of electronic music, world without the Internet, gaming, personal computers, cell phones... Damn !

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

And remember that "golden ages" are only relative to the biggest country (ies) at the time. Rome and Greece were doing great in their respective days but many other countries were not.

Sorry, who? No, Golden Ages can be specific to anything, as in the "Golden Age of Radio". The OP is referring to distinct time periods that happen to be around the time when the Romans and Greeks were the dominant powers in Europe - which is misguided, because of course in those periods everyone was so geographically distinct that, you're right, bad things were happening in other places.

But still, you can have Golden Ages that are distinct from the biggest country/ies. The Belle Epoque for instance is the peace that held for much of the 19th century between the major powers in Europe; such a time could be considered a Golden Age because there was less fighting in the world and great technological advancement.

ANYWAY... yes we are living in a Golden Age. Technological advancement at a never before seen pace, peace like never before etc. etc.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

It will look at our time when we made useless technological advances, music was raped, the world fell into debt, wars were waged over petty squabbles, we took away freedoms and didn't limit the ones where it was needed, dictated how people should live their lives and we couldn't decide if people who desperately needed to be killed should die. Yeah, I bet they'll look at our time in history as the best of all...and if you didn't pick up on the sarcasm I should really also add "1/2 the population being stupid" as one of the reasonss.

 

[TonyVonTonyus]

damned double posts.

 

[ecoho]

I Don't think so. Hundreds of wars, Major Pollution - Yep we have really Balls'd up this time.

The Golden age will be when we get spaceships, Really cool ones!

you do know there were allot of wars in the golden age on England right? i mean they pretty much conquered nations all during that time. as for pollution we're working on that, that being said it will ether be the 21st century or 22end thought of as the golden age because we are coming to a point were we must unite and work together or die, and that will push humanity at its whole to a new level.

 

[shadyh8er]

I only say yes because Steve Jobs was a boss. May he rest in peace.

 

[fulano]

Depends on the context.

But socially? Um, nope. Not at all.