A future shock as a way to think about tomorrow

This paper is a response to the article “The Philosophy of the ‘Black Mirror': A revolution in the minds up and down...”. Agreeing with the conditions and trends in the development of modern science, technology and civilization described in this article, the author, however, approaches these issues from a different point of view. He agrees that contemporary culture is a reflection of the desired and expected future, and points to the inalienability of modern technologies that represent the “black box” for the user. However, since it is possible for technology to evolve much further, it might reach the level of humanity and overcome it. In such a case, humans would either find themselves in games and creativity or appear doomed to extinction. The author shows that in such circumstances, the development of virtual reality technology and the transfer of human consciousness to external media might be a most beneficial way for the civilization to develop. In a situation when the elimination of the physical body opens up much more opportunities for a person than they might have in the real world, death (in its physiological sense) becomes more a “liberation of the spirit” and a beginning of a new “life” rather than provokes fears as an insoluble problem. However, such technologies and their consequences need a thorough philosophical analysis, the responsibility for which is still on human shoulders.