Arthur C Clarke, famous science-fiction writer, produced three statements about technology development. They are quite applicable and profound, in particular with the perspective on the Fourth Revolution. I find it useful to share them here.
- When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
- The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
- Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
The first statement is about the role of the change of generation in our institutions: too often, such a change is needed for our paradigms to evolve officially – experts and professors remain stuck in their worldview.
The next statements are about going beyond what we believe is possible. There are not enough visionaries doing that nowadays: in spite of the start-up trend, too many start-ups remain within the established possible.
I love the mention of magic, because the last statement tells us that irrespective of the progress of technology, there will always be magic: beyond the currently possible, and we will always be amazed. Let’s look for the next magical stuff!
