We will assume that man does not destroy itself and that it is not destroyed in the mean time by some catastrophe (like a meteor impact, etc). However that is relatively unimportant: if man is indeed unable to progress then some other life form will likely take these steps, here or on other planets.
The key concept for the evolution of any species is the respect and admiration for its environment. Without it, the more it's power, the greater the destruction it causes in the environment. Ultimately, it either destroys the basis of its own survival or it destroys itself, for its members, seeing its lack of beauty and purpose, self mutilate and destroy their own kind.
From the point of view of technological development - evolution through shared minds & designing own body, environment and power source:
A Better Man
Improving life span and health
Improving cognitive abilities - books and language were a first development (e.g. neural implants, first to help diseased, then applied to more members of the society)
Improving physical and sensory abilities (the microscope, the wheel chair, the telescope, radar, vaccines, cars, etc).
Improving the ability to communicate (brain to brain interfaces, ability to directly record and communicate inner experiences)
trans-human:
Immortality
cognitive and physical expansion
Experiment with body transition - different bodies, different sexes, etc.
Post-biological:
Alternative energy sources (nuclear, etc)
Finding safer places than planets to live on
Life outside solar systems
or Using existing energy sources
living near stars or other sources of high energy
The Gods of the Future:
will previous life forms be maintained or will they be destroyed? Too many factors involved to determine the answer. mankind may in fact be destroyed or preserved by its long term descendants. If it is preserved it will not live in the world as we know it, unless the creatures that we give rise to create a simulation in which we can continue to live as if we are the apex of life. Perhaps, to expand their minds, they would create different simulations for different species, one for dolphins, other for sharks, other for sea lions, other for birds, etc, in which each species can be at the apex of life. In that reality, however, these beings running the simulations, would be the true apex of life, by comprehending, in their minds, all the species they maintain on living.
The race for life will be a race for minds: the greater the mind, the more it can encompass, the richer the life. It makes sense to have all these simulations for they are an easier, safer, faster and more efficient way than to travel to other planets, to find diversity. A being who can encompass such a simulation can have a huge variety of modes of existence available to him. From the life of Jack Johnson to the life of a jelly fish, to the sensations felt by sparrows and dolphins: the life of these highly developed creatures would be like a journey with little frontiers. They could easily travel to the summit of pleasure or pain, ecstasy and fear, no heaven or paradise would be hidden from their view. All the stories and histories of the world would be available to them. They would be what we call Gods. Not only immortal but wise beyond anything we can imagine.
consequences for the search for ETs:
Probably technological life forms will not have their habitats on planets. They will likely not have biological organs (but manufactured). Their minds will be very different from ours and their way of communicating will probably not use words but brain-to-brain interfaces. Their way of representing the world will also be more complete, involving what we would call simulations (for lack of a better word), but instead of movies they would be able to represent outside environments in exquisite detail and probably in more than three dimensions.
If such an ET were to visit Earth he would probably would go unnoticed and would probably have no legitimate way of convey his thoughts on any of us as they would involve representations far beyond what our primate brains can represent. Besides, they would probably understand more of our own civilization in a few seconds than we can in all of our life-time. We would probably have no special interest to such beings and it is likely that they would look at us as only marginally more interesting than other forms of life on Earth.