After an initial period of human existence and exploration which has focused more on local details and specialization, perhaps, from now on, it's time more for synthesis and thinking globally. And more innovations will come from synthesis across disciplines than from individual scientific fields. Back to professor John Holland's building blocks: imagine how many new things can be generated by combining just a few building blocks (while the speed of innovation from making new building blocks is linear), not to mention that alternative perspectives can open up new horizons, and thus accelerate building-block making in individual fields. And it is only through synthesis that we can acquire holistic knowledge of the world.

Similarly, art forms such as film that synthesize other art forms will flourish: imagine the number of stories that are happening around every corner of the world, the music forms that bring different moods, the variety of costumes, and the various ways of linking all these elements. Individual art forms will continue to play an important role (just as the existing fields will continue to contribute to science and feed synthesis), yet film making will have a still brighter future.

(In the spirit of TEDxUof M)

 

 

Previous

Next