I am being sarcastic, right now. Please tell me you live in a world of grown-ups where progress and sacrifice go hand in hand.

In reply to your edit to the parent post: robots won't take over for us. If they are ever in such a position of power, they'll get rid of us.

I'm not exactly looking forwards to it.

Among other things, human history is the combined evolution of sociological and technological progress.

Societal progress has peaked a while ago.

Technology has been riding the curiosity and mental ability of the most brilliant among us, and is currently busy building its next vehicle.

The tragedy of the commons means that it will be very, very difficult to impede that trend, assuming it is possible at all.

None of this is based on facts or study. I like the fiction you present though.

It is completely factual. Look at life and human history from an information theoretic point of view.

DNA for long term storage, cell to cell communication culminating in multicellular organisms, nervous systems and memory, symbolic communication and information transmission through conversations. Writing, printing, telegraphs; computers, networked.

Technology is a self-amplifying meme, and, now that there are technological means to transmit, persist and process complex information outside of human brains, we are no longer necessary to perpetuate it.