Abstract
The title reference is the lyrical drama by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1820) featuring Prometheus from Greek mythology. Prometheus is condemned to eternal damnation as a result of disobeying the gods by giving fire to humanity. In Shelly’s work, Prometheus manages to escape and to prevail in an ultimate triumph over the gods. The article describes the challenges facing the world of the twenty-first century within the context of similar challenges facing civilization immediately in advance of the industrial revolution. The article holds out the promise of artificial intelligence as the technological “game changer” for modernity’s challenges provided its implementation comports with humanistic values and an ethos based upon rational precepts.
Jack Peggs