The key challenge facing human society, if it values a future in the year 2400 and beyond that does not resemble the dystopia of George Orwell (1984) or Aldous Huxley (Ape and Essence), is a social one. Society is too distracted with technological optimism (the belief that science and technology will enable unlimited growth in human wealth), putting self- or group-interest ahead of public-interest (rather than alongside it) and "solving" short-term "problems" to take note of the limits to the system in which we live.
While this may sound like a re-hash of Limits to Growth, a 1972 thesis by a group calling themselves the "Club of Rome" which warned society not to breach unknown ecological system limits in pursuit of [what would ultimately be short-term] wealth, I'm interested in a wider scope of system limits. No doubt that ecological system limits are both (a) being breached and (b) not well measured/known, but there are also numerous limits that society values as a collective. These are things like equity, fairness (justice), freedom, safety, human rights, and a diversity of cultural expressions (such as traditions and beliefs).
I hope to comment on occasions where pursuit of what we do not wish to limit: wealth, prosperity, development, for example, threatens to cross key limits. Or occasions where we see massive trade-offs between limits in order to raise a limit: for example, forgoing a tradition in the pursuit of fairness.
Pursuing wealth, prosperity or development is not bad, but more and more, I see these pursuits as systems whereby designers (businessmen, policymakers, communities) seek to toe the limiting line. Any margin of safety would be "economically inefficient". Let's just hope that the designers know the limits.
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