  Cosmology seems extremely remote from everyday human practice and experience.
It is usually taken for granted that cosmological data cannot rationally
influence our beliefs about the fate of humanity -- and possible other
intelligent species -- except perhaps in the extremely distant future, when the
question of heat death (in an ever-expanding universe) becomes actual. Here, an
attempt is made to show that it may become a practical issue much sooner, if an
intelligent community wishes to maximize its creative potential. New
developments in the fields of anthropic self-selection and physical eschatology
give solid foundations to such a conclusion. This may open some new (and
possibly urgent) issues in the areas of future policy making and transhumanist
studies generally. It may also give us a slightly better perspective on the
SETI endeavor.
