PROGRESSwill help us find a safe way through the reefs and shoals of humanity’s
ever-accelerating progress. Then again, maybe not. For example:
PRESS THE BUTTONNuclear armageddon is the most obvious way in which dopamine can
destroy humanity. Highly dopaminergic scientists have built doomsday
weapons for highly dopaminergic rulers. Scientists can’t stop them-
selves from making their weapons ever more deadly, and dictators can’t
help themselves from lusting after power. Over time, more and more
countries are acquiring nuclear capabilities, and someday someone’s
dopamine circuits might come to the conclusion that the best way to
maximize future resources is to press the button. We all hope—and
many believe—that before we destroy ourselves, humanity will find a
way to move beyond our primitive drive for conquest, possibly through
organizations of international cooperation such as the United Nations.
But if that happens, it’s going to take something very powerful to
bring it about. It’s awfully hard to rewire our brains.
FINISH OFF THE PLANETAnother obvious doomsday scenario involves dopamine driving us on
to greater and greater consumption until we destroy the planet. Cli-
mate change accelerated by industrial activity is a major focus of coun-
tries around the world that fear devastating consequences, including
drought, floods, and violent competition for diminishing resources.
More than half of greenhouse gases are generated by burning fossil fuel
to make cement, steel, plastics, and chemicals. As more countries are
lifted out of poverty, the demand for these materials increases. Every-
body wants more—and for a significant plurality of nations, more isn’t the
pursuit of luxury. It’s the climb out of crushing poverty.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which provides
scientific assessments for the United Nations Climate Conference,