Why do we fear the future?

Americans love science-fiction—robots, flying cars, and all that. But apparently we prefer it that way, as fiction. A recent survey found us frightened of many futuristic technologies that may soon become reality. Fifty percent of us would not ride in a driverless car. Drones make us nervous, robot nurses leave us cold, and we’ve no appetite for lab-made meat.

Back when this ice gun was marketed, we were more enthused about Buck Rogers-style fantasies. But perhaps that’s because it seemed a long ways off. We’re not quite ready, it seems, to trade human error for robotic control.

—Tim Gihring, editor

April 25, 2014

Source: CNN, April 16, 2014