This is an unedited list of the questions I plan to ask Clarke over the course of the next several weeks. On religion and spirituality

1 You said that you don't believe in "God" but that you are very interested in him, or her. What have you found?
2 Intelligence and faith, reason and religion. Can they co-exist? Should they? What's the alternative?
3 Can religion exist in an individual state or does it only work in a group? Can there be a substitution to institutionalized religion?
4 Do you think faith belongs only in the lab where conjectures are made or is it something to live by?
5 What is the importance of religious rituals in the future of mankind?
6 What have you learned from religion? From religious philosophies?
7 Olaf Stapledon's "Last and first men" shows that the ONLY thing that survives the test of time is "religious experience". Not necessarily in the way that we know it but still… would you agree?

On intelligence

1 Can all the advancements in science and art be directly attributed to intelligence?
2 Is intelligence genetic? If so, should we all become super intelligent through genetic modification?
3 What are the effects of videogames on intelligence? What role do they play in our evolution?
4 Can we seriously evolve as a species with so many of us still well below average intelligence? Is the Braincap the only solution in your mind?

On science and technology

1 Will man's invention of "God" supersede man's invention of the wheel?
2 Technology, medication, education. What's the connection?
3 Is advanced technology a necessary condition to our development as a species? Is it the only condition?
4 What is the difference between an average living creature and a super smart computer?
5 Will machines ever become a separate species?
6 Do clones have a soul? Are they merely clusters of information?
7 Is our emotional evolution up to speed with our technological?
8 Are we "destined" to die as determined in our genetic code or is it merely an inconvenience?

On dimensions

1 How do extra dimensions fit into the picture?
2 So far extra dimensions have only been mathematical probabilities. What are the chances of us discovering and communicating with extra dimensions? How do you think it will happen?
3 We can "grasp" a single, two, and three dimensions. Why are we having so much trouble with 4, 5 or more dimensions?
4 Does the problem have to do with the length of "now" we can perceive? Is it a matter of developing a proper vocabulary?
5 Does time exist in all dimensions?
6 Can the Internet be considered a new dimension? Is it a portal to another dimension?
7 Yogis are believed to have the ability to transcend time for an instant. What is the connection between spirituality and that extra dimension?

On society and culture

1 Can marriage, as we know it, exist without religion? is it vital to our society? Can mini-societies become the alternative instead?
2 Will cyber societies eventually replace physical ones?
3 You said money would be abolished in the relatively near future. Can you describe one possible scenario in which it happens?
4 How will we resolve our disputes? Should the justice system change?
5 Waste management: what do we do with all of our garbage?
6 What will happen to the medium of film and story telling? Olfactory films? Virtual films?
7 Will we see an infallible truth machine?
8 New energy sources and politics. Do we need a catastrophe to change our ways?
9 Do you believe our folly to emanate purely from our struggle with our animalistic urges?
10 Will we ever rid ourselves of envy, greed, lying? Can we do without them?
11 What is the role of our emotions in our evolution?
12 Drugs and hallucinogenics have played an undeniable part in our evolution. What is your view on the subject? What role will they play in our future?
13 We are considered a type 0 civilization. Will we see our next civilization rising in our lifetime? What will have to change? At what price?
14 What are the fundamental differences between our civilization and the next?
15 After we've "won all the battles", what's left for mankind to do, to aspire to?
16 How plausible is the Overmind destiny you described in Childhood's End?

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