[cabalamat]

> I'm not sure, with this kind of power, if we are quickly approaching a Great Filter or not

We're approaching several.

We -- or rather, some members of our species -- are clever enough to build amazingly powerful technologies (nuclear weapons, biotechnology, maybe strong AI), but as a species we seem to often use them unwisely, either because political leaders are power-obsessed (in the case of nuclear weapons), or because some technologies might become able to be harnessed by individuals/groups without much resources (DIY biotechnology).

It's like toddlers playing with matches on a petrol-soaked carpet.