[markvdb]

Did you just say that research about our far out economic future is not supposed to be a job of academic economists?

It doesn't have to be a main research area for all of them, but it _should_ be for some. And all economists should know the basics (physical limitations, ...) about this area of economics.

P.S. Always interested in some decent reading material about this one!

[pzone]

I said there is very little that can be said scientifically using economic methods about the distant future. You may as well be talking to Singularity crowd, global warming scientists, asteroid impact researchers, or SETI. GDP growth researchers should follow Wittgenstein's advice.

There's far too much that we don't know about the economy right now to include wild speculation, even if it's mysterious and thrilling, in the category of economic knowledge.

[npunt]

It sounds like just the type of thing that has no use until one day it suddenly does. Ideas like these need a long time to gestate - better to do that before they're needed rather than after.