The “short arm” of predictive knowledge, as described by Hans Jonas, refers to the habit of human power to work in the short term and without the guidance of knowledge. Despite generally being reasonably intelligent and acting with moral intentions, many people are forced to act within short-term contexts due to lack of sufficient information or lack of ability to use predictive knowledge to forsee the unintended later effects of their well-intentioned, well-considered, and well-performed actions.

It is not enough to be moral, intelligent, or competent. A person with merely these traits is not capable of creating long-term good if they do not possess the access to predictive knowledge.

With the advent of technology, it is more difficult than ever to predict the long-term effects of one’s actions. The world has become interconnected at every level through the power of the Internet and thus, individuals have greater capacity to perform good and harm on large scale than any previous technology has permitted. A well-intentioned, well-considering, and well-performing individual can, through no intention of their own and through the simple actions of a casual user of social media, create a devestating reaction for someone on the other side of the world that ripples through that person’s entire family and potentially beyond. The interconnected nature of humanity through the Internet is too complex for the human mind to be able to accurately predict the second and third effects of their actions.

Where previously, humanity was merely attempting to survive in a hostile world, our species now possesses immense power over nature. The technology we have built with our hands has the capacity to destroy the planet, either slowly through pollution or swiftly through nuclear detonation. The mere presence of a human city can wreack havoc on the natural ecosystem of both that region and regions across the world from which natural resources are extracted to fuel the lifestyles of the people in that city who will never visit nor know about the rocks from which their silverware was mined. Our species has gone from desperate survivors in the face of an uncaring world to the indisputed rulers of the planet, wielding immense destructive power.

And as Uncle Ben would tell you, with great power comes great responsibility. By assuming the dominant position in the world, we take responsibility over its well-being. Yet despite this, our mental capacity for prediction has not kept pace with our capacity to dominate. This has become true in every aspect of human society, from our relationship with nature through pollution to our relationships with each other through the Internet. If one held a purely Utilitarian view of morality, then it would be impossible for any human to be moral as it is nearly impossible to be a purely moral actor and consumer in the modern technological landscape.

If there were a simple solution to the above problems, then the problems would not exist. I do not know the exact actions that must be taken, but I do know that any solution would require one of the following to happen: humanity must either develop the ability to responsibly and accurately predict the future outcomes of its actions, or control must be removed from humanity’s hands.