Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku

Chapter Six

1.  Hollywood television and movies make space travel look so easy.  Who knew it was really so complicated?  In the near term (present to 2030), Kaku discusses the current state of affairs with our space program.  While advancements are meager, at best, there is small progress on the horizon. 

- What are the main challenges to locating and identifying other “earth-like” planets? 

- What is the “Goldilocks Zone?”  Why is Europa different?

2.  “While robotic missions will continue to open new vistas for space exploration, the manned missions will face much greater hurdles. This is because, compared to manned missions, robotic missions are cheap and versatile; can explore dangerous environments; don’t require costly life support; and most important, don’t have to come back.”

- What are the primary obstacles to manned space missions?

- What roles have politics and funding played in recent decisions?

           

3.  Kaku acknowledges, “The task of establishing a permanent presence on the moon faces many obstacles.”

- What are some of these obstacles?

4.  By midcentury (2030 to 2070), a mission to Mars may be in progress.  Yet, the challenges are numerous.

- Specifically, how do concerns about water and atmosphere affect potential trips to Mars?

5.  Kaku notes that by midcentury, we might have opportunity to engage in space travel via tourism (and lots of $$$).

- What’s our progress with space tourism so far?

 6.  Kaku notes that in the far future (2070 to 2100), “nanotechnology might even make possible the fabled space elevator. Like Jack and the beanstalk, we might be able to climb into the clouds and beyond. We would enter an elevator, push the up button, and then ascend along a carbon nanotube fiber that is thousands of miles long. This could turn the economics of space travel upside down.”

- All elevator jokes aside, why is this such a difficult project?

7.  “By the end of the century, even despite recent setbacks in funding for manned space missions, scientists will likely have set up outposts on Mars and perhaps in the asteroid belt. Next, they will set their sights on an actual star. Although an interstellar probe is hopelessly beyond reach today, within 100 years it might become a reality. The first challenge is to find a new propulsion system. Several designs and propulsions systems have been proposed for an interstellar craft:

“Solar sail, nuclear rocket, ramjet fusion, and nanoships.” 

- Discuss the mechanics of each.

8.  Kaku concludes, “Given the fact that earth will be the home of humanity for centuries to come, this raises another question:

- How will civilization itself evolve?

- How will science affect our lifestyle, our jobs, and our society?

- Science is the engine of prosperity, so how will it reshape civilization and wealth in the future?

- Your thoughts on these?

Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku

Chapter Five

1.  Kaku notes that, “Today our planet is thoroughly wedded to fossil fuels in the form of oil, natural gas, and coal. Altogether, the world consumes about 14 trillion watts of power, of which 33 percent comes from oil, 25 percent from coal, 20 percent from gas, 7 percent from nuclear, 15 percent from biomass and hydroelectric, and a paltry .5 percent from solar and renewables.”

- What are the challenges of living with this current arrangement?

2.  In the near future (present to 2030), Kaku points to a mix of energy sources.  Briefly discuss the pros and cons of each:

            - Wind power

            - Solar Cells

            - Electric cars

            - Nuclear fission         

           

3.  By midcentury (2030 to 2070), “the full impact of a fossil fuel economy should be in full swing: global warming.”

What are the challenges to reducing greenhouse gases and avoiding global flooding?  Who will take responsibility for these?

4. Various approaches to fusion power have been introduced.  Again, briefly discuss the pros and cons of each:  

           - Hot fusion

           - NIF – Fusion by laser

           - ITER – Fusion in a magnetic field

           - Tabletop fusion

5.  In the far future (2070 to 2100), “room temperature superconductors could produce supermagnets capable of lifting trains and cars so they hover above the ground.”

- How would such technology revolutionize our economy and our culture?

Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku

Chapter Four

1.  Kaku begins this chapter on nanotechnology by discussing the quantum world.  He raises an interesting question, to which he responds:  “So why can’t we pass through solid objects like ghosts? The answer resides in a curious quantum phenomenon. The Pauli exclusion principle states that no two electrons can exist in the same quantum state. Hence when two nearly identical electrons get too close, they repel each other. This is the reason objects appear to be solid, which is an illusion.

The reality is that matter is basically empty. When we sit in a chair, we think we are touching it. Actually, we are hovering above the chair, floating less than a nanometer above it, repelled by the chair’s electrical and quantum forces. This means that whenever we “touch” something, we are not making direct contact at all but are separated by these tiny atomic forces.”

- How does this explanation shape our understanding of matter and our interaction with matter? 

2.  In the near term (present to 2030), nanomachines will infiltrate our bodies, capable of zapping cancer cells.  Nano cars (Honda?) will navigate our bloodstream, and DNA chips will constantly monitor our health and detect diseases. 

- How will such technology help save lives and costs?

3.  With Moore’s Law just around the corner, Kaku points toward a post-silicon era. 

- How might atomic transistors (e.g., graphene) and quantum computers at the atomic scale provide needed breakthroughs?

4. By midcentury (2030 to 2070), Kaku predicts that shape-shifting will be commonplace…allowing powerful computer programs to alter and re-shape material objects to fit changing needs and wants.

- What are potential pros and cons to such abilities?

5.  In the far future (2070 to 2100), Kaku states that “advocates of nanotechnology envision an even more powerful machine: a molecular assembler, or ‘replicator,’ capable of creating anything.” 

- What are some of the challenges to this technology?

- What might the social impact of replicators look like?

- What would we do with our time?

- Would society be happier or better off?

- How would society differentiate between material wealth and spiritual need?

- Would people continue to turn to God and pray?

Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku

Chapter Three

1.  In the near term (present to 2030), genomic medicine will escalate.  Advancements in stem cell technology, cloning, and gene therapy will provide aids in fighting diseases and extending human life.  Cancer will remain a formidable foe in these efforts. 

-  While most of this discussion is new to us, what challenges do you anticipate from such controversial approaches?  

- Are there any peculiar ethical issues that come to mind?

2.  Kaku notes that in the midcentury (2030 to 2070), we can anticipate gene therapy, designer children, and the Mighty Mouse gene.  But the biotech revolution is not without side effects.

- What is the hidden Achilles’ heel to such technology and what type of regulation would be needed?

3.  In the far future (2070 to 2100), aging moves center stage. 

- Is there a fountain of youth? 

- Will it be possible to avoid death? 

- Can our planet sustain the growing world population? 

- Can extinct life-forms be resurrected? 

- What would we do with a new brand of Neanderthals? 

- Wouldn’t you love to see a Mammoth or a real Jurassic Park?

4. Kaku asks: “Can we create life according to our wishes? Is it possible to create not just long-extinct animals but also animals that have never existed before?”

- What are the theological ramifications of such lofty attempts?

Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku

Chapter Two

1.  Michio Kaku introduces the future of artificial intelligence by asking, “Will this usher in the end of humanity?”  He talks about the abilities and limitations of Honda’s robot, ASIMO.  But Kaku points out two major problems with robots: pattern recognition and the lack of common sense. 

- What are the present barriers to achieving these in robots and machines? 

2.  In the near future (present to 2030), introduces the field of “heuristics.”  These are “expert systems, software programs that have encoded in them the wisdom and experience of a human being…following a formal, rule-based system.”  These have given us Google internet search engines and the like.  Kaku believe the greatest application of these advances will be experienced in the various fields of medicine. 

- What were some of his projections and how would you respond to them?

3.  By midcentury (2030 to 2070), we may benefit from tiny modular robots, robot surgeons and cooks, and (oh my!) emotional robots.  

- How might we benefit from this assortment of robots?

4.  Kaku describes the challenges of reverse engineering, modeling, and taking apart the brain. 

- For the sake of review, what are these challenges?

5.  In the far future (2070 to 2100), Kaku anticipates a time when machines exceed us in intelligence, but AI researchers are split on the question of when this might happen.  “A large part of the problem with these scenarios is that there is no universal consensus as to the meaning of the word consciousness.  But if I were to venture a guess, I would theorize that consciousness consists of at least three basic components:

1. Sensing and recognizing the environment

2. Self-awareness

3. Planning for the future by setting goals and plans…

    that is, simulating the future and plotting strategy.”

- What are the roles and the complications of each?

6. Finally, Kaku raises some hypothetical scenarios of when robots exceed humans.  He believes the most likely scenario involves “friendly AI.” 

- What did he mean by this?

7.  “In addition to friendly AI, there is also another option: merging with our creations. Instead of simply waiting for robots to surpass us in intelligence and power, we should try to enhance ourselves, becoming superhuman in the process. Most likely, I believe, the future will proceed with a combination of these two goals, i.e., building friendly AI and also enhancing ourselves.”

- How might this play out?

- In this new world, what would it mean to see ourselves as “created in the image of God?”

Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku

Chapter One

1.  I bought my first personal computer in 1994 and paid a small fortune to get the latest and greatest. In fact, I still use my original email address with AOL.com.  My kids call me a dinosaur. 

- When did you finally break down and purchase your first computer? 

- What was that experience like and how have you integrated computers in your life up to the present?

2.  “Moore’s law simply says that computer power doubles about every eighteen months. First stated in 1965 by Gordon Moore, one of the founders of the Intel Corporation, this simple law has helped to revolutionize the world economy, generated fabulous new wealth, and irreversibly altered our way of life.”

- Where have you seen “Moore’s Law” played out? 

- What are the pros & cons of such rapid change for individuals and for society?

3.  “Today, we can communicate with the Internet via our computers and cell phones. But in the future, the Internet will be everywhere—in wall screens, furniture, on billboards, and even in our glasses and contact lenses. When we blink, we will go online.”

- How would this change your daily life?

4.  “In the near future, you will also be able to safely surf the Web via your contact lens while driving a car. Commuting to work won’t be such an agonizing chore because cars will drive themselves.”

- Where do we see this beginning to develop today? 

- Would you prefer this mode of transportation?

5.  Kaku goes on to discuss the emergence of four wall screens, flexible electronic paper, virtual worlds, medical care in the near future, and living in a fairy tale. 

- Which of these offer the greatest promise & application?

6.  Midcentury (2030 to 2070) will give us the end of Moore’s Law, the mixing of real and virtual reality (augmented reality), universal translators, and holograms & 3-D.

- Briefly discuss the impact of each. 

7.  Far future (2070 to 2100) will offer mind over matter, mind reading, photographing dreams, tricorders and portable brain scans, telekinesis and the power of the gods…oh, my!   

- What are the practical and ethical challenges of such potential?

- What role might the Christian faith play in such a culture?

Physics of the Future, by Michio Kaku

Introduction

1.  As a young child, Michio Kaku had lofty dreams of what he wanted to be and do as an adult. 

- During your childhood, what did you dream of achieving as a grownup?

2.  “The key to understanding the future,” Kaku writes, “is to grasp the fundamental laws of nature and then apply them to the inventions, machines, and therapies that will redefine our civilization far into the future.” 

- What makes Kaku’s book different from most books that claim to predict the future?

3.  “The prototypes of all these technologies already exist. As William Gibson, the author of Neuromancer who coined the word cyberspace, once said, ‘The future is already here. It’s just unevenly distributed.’”

- What is meant by that statement, and where do we witness it?

4.  Kaku introduces us to the four fundamental forces in nature: gravity, the electromagnetic force, and the two nuclear forces, weak and strong.  (The recently discovered fifth force of nature is Donald Trump…but that’s a whole ‘nother discussion!) 

- How does the sum of these four forces of nature contribute to our lives today? 

- What has our limited understanding of them allowed us to do…both for good and for harm?

5.  “Now dare to imagine the world in the year 2100. By 2100, our destiny is to become like the gods we once worshiped and feared. But our tools will not be magic wands and potions, but the science of computers, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and most of all, the quantum theory, which is the foundation of the previous technologies.”

Kaku’s question: “But where is all this technological change leading? Where is the final destination in this long voyage into science and technology?” 

Kaku’s answer: “The culmination of all these

upheavals is the formation of a planetary civilization, what physicists call a Type I civilization.”

What might that Type 1 civilization look like to you?

6.  Kaku concludes his introduction: “The point is: whenever there is a conflict between modern technology and the desires of our primitive ancestors, these primitive desires win each time. That’s the Cave Man Principle.”  He concludes, “So unless we genetically change our basic personality, we can expect that the power of entertainment, tabloid gossip, and social networking will increase, not decrease, in the future.”

- Seriously, can it get any worse?

7.  “Of course, science is a double-edged sword; it creates as many problems as it solves, but always on a higher level. There are two competing trends in the world today: one is to create a planetary civilization that is tolerant, scientific, and prosperous, but the other glorifies anarchy and ignorance that could rip the fabric of our society. We still have the same sectarian, fundamentalist, irrational passions of our ancestors, but the difference is that now we have nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.”

- As Christians, what role will we play in addressing these two competing trends? 

- How does our understanding of human nature (sin) and God’s redemptions through the death and resurrection of Jesus (salvation) prepare us for the swift currents of change ahead?