This seems like the same sort of pointless hand-wringing that attends every technology at its peak. There are any number of works in progress that could replace antibiotics. None of them have yet because they are not economically competitive. As that changes - because they either realize their potential to be much, much more effective, or because the cost of working antibiotics rises - then antibiotics will fade in favor of the next technology in line.
This is what happens to every technology. Yet people seem to forget, despite the evidence all around them, that they live in a world that changes rapidly due to the fact that many, many individuals are working on new and better ways to do everything. Periods of seeming stasis to the outside observer - such as the long use of antibiotics, which is really actually a continual hectic development of new types of the single class of item - only occur because economic conditions favor them. As soon as economic conditions favor another technology, it is developed and deployed from its prototypes pretty rapidly.
I don't think it is pointless to consider the possibility that infinite progress is not inevitable. You may have faith that science and technology will always come through, but I don't. This blind faith that things will always get better is one reason why people deny climate change. I'm not saying we give up and admit defeat, but blind optimism is foolish. Keep working on solutions, but be prepared for failure scenarios.
> I don't think it is pointless to consider the possibility that infinite progress is not inevitable.
It's an interesting thought but we don't even know what there is that we don't know, In the late 19th century many scientists thought we'd solved science (Kelvin among others said (in hindsight) hilarious things “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” and "Radio has no future" and he was the chair of the royal academy of sciences.
> You may have faith that science and technology will always come through, but I don't.
I have more faith in human ingenuity than I have in anything else, human ingenuity exists and works.
> This blind faith that things will always get better is one reason why people deny climate change.
I have no idea about that one, the climate change deniers I've met have broadly been deniers based on religion or because it benefits them in some way directly.
> I'm not saying we give up and admit defeat, but blind optimism is foolish.
So is blind pessimism, people forget that by every measurable standard the human race is in a golden age (even including places like central Africa).
The one thing that has lifted large parts of the world out of a short nasty, disease ridden life is science (and technology but they go together).
This is what happens to every technology. Yet people seem to forget, despite the evidence all around them, that they live in a world that changes rapidly due to the fact that many, many individuals are working on new and better ways to do everything. Periods of seeming stasis to the outside observer - such as the long use of antibiotics, which is really actually a continual hectic development of new types of the single class of item - only occur because economic conditions favor them. As soon as economic conditions favor another technology, it is developed and deployed from its prototypes pretty rapidly.