I think we're
approaching a point where we're going to find out if we've
matured enough as a
species to avoid
self-annihilation. And I feel that point is
coming soon.
It's not technology that's the problem. Technology is just a tool, a means. It's the motive to use it for bad that's the problem. If we didn't have the desire to take from other people, to deny them freedom, to deny them life, we'd never have to worry.
The sad part is that there are still people who think world peace is a bad idea. Obviously, at least some people are not ready for this technology, and given access to it, would immediately attempt to remove other people, those with certain attributes, from the world.
At some point, an advance is going to arrive that, in a manner of speaking, will put a timer on us as a species. That once this advance arrives, we have a certain amount of time to make advances to either protect us against the eventual spread of this advance to people with bad motives, or to enlighten us, as a species, to the point where those motives disappear.
However, because of the progression of science and technology, we can't just decide to stop working on advances, because it would be impossible for everyone to agree not to do it - at best, you can convince the people with good motives to stop, leaving the dangerous ones to do it on their own, creating a near-certain doomsday scenario.
I think our only chance is to work to both increase the speed at which advances come, to make it more likely we can protect ourselves before the timer expires, and to work with other people, to try and get rid of the opinions, the thoughts, the beliefs, that would lead toward the misuse of the technology.
Personally, I think the advance that's going to start the timer is nanotechnology, and from what I've been hearing, we're looking at a ten to thirty year arrival time.