I believe Nassim Taleb has a strong argument for why things &quot;that don&#x27;t break&quot;- or in other words, things that maintain consistency throughout human history (e.g. Relgion, the chair, writing tablets) are likely to be around in the future. <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economist.com&#x2F;node&#x2F;17509373" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.economist.com&#x2F;node&#x2F;17509373</a>