Transistor progress has been especially astonishing, but if you just look at the progress in basically all areas of living in the last 200, 1000, 5000 years there is absolutely no reason we won't see incredible further improvements in the next century. They don't have to be exponential doubling every 18 months. Steady incremental improvements compound just fine over decades.

I just don't see any of your opening statement being even close to correct given the context. There was even significant progress in space travel and fusion in the last 50 years (e.g. first reactors being net positive after startup and reusable rockets with commercial space flights).