How can the human race survive the next hundred years?

[ronnie_h]

Excuse me for quoting you like this but this is exactly what I meant when I said looking at attitudes in present day society. I believe that the majority can't give a damn and thus will continue to follow selfishly the road which will lead us to total collapse and devastation.

yes, you are absolutely right. and i know that my attitude is neither good nor wise.

i'm simply tired of fighting against windmills and therefore i take the liberty to swim downstream with the masses now.

i'm sure that if not you, the politicians will love me for this...

 

[metta]

yes, you are absolutely right. and i know that my attitude is neither good nor wise.

i'm simply tired of fighting against windmills and therefore i take the liberty to swim downstream with the masses now.

i'm sure that if not you, the politicians will love me for this...

I will never choose to swim with the masses only because it is easier to do so. I would only do so if I thought that it was the right thing to do. Principle and values are meaningless if you are not willing to sacrifice to back them up. Individual thought becomes worthless.

 

[NineOfClubs]

That isn't what I meant, though as I was there too I do agree with you on that point.

I meant there wasn't this apathetic attitude to the world and your neighbour. Yes people were terrified but that was becaused they cared. Do they now? Or have we gone too far down the road of "me and my priorities first , sod the rest"?

Ah. I see your point. And a good one too.

Yes, there was less apathy. You pretty much had to notice in those days while now you can be MTV I-pod etc. tuned out..

 

[micklader]

On a more serious note (even though 'having babies' was fairly obvious) why should geo-political states should be the centre of how society and humanity should further its survival?

In a similar vein to what metta was writing about, I reckon that with a rising level of literacy and knowledge for people throughout the world, people will want to devolve power into smaller groups or down to individuals. I don't believe wars between countries will be why more people will die. In my opinion, more people will die from rebellion and defying the state regardless of their cause.

I reckon people no longer want to be homogenous, they want to be unique - and as a double-edged sword manifested by western democracy - they want to be free and do more things in self-interest.

 

[wentworth]

I think that the human race will probably still be here 100 years from now. I think people will look back at how we are living now and will be disgusted at the energy waste, the intollerance for gay people, the corruption in the US government, and the lack of public transportion options.

People aren't doing that now, and won't be later on. Humans live in the here and now and will continue to do so.

We will have to live more efficiently. Cities will be taller and not so spread out. People will have less children. I don't think that the US will be a World power 100 years from now. I think that power will go to China, India, and possibly the European Union. This may change depending on if/how opinons change for Americans in the US. The average age will be older than what it is today. There might not be such a thing as retirement for the average person. I would hope that it would be a more humane and empathetic World.

We already live more efficiently now than ever before, thanks to advancements in technology.
I cannot speak for the cities, but I think as is the case, more people will be living in the cities than ever before, but that is a natural trend.
I think the U.S. will be a world power as long as it continues to follow the Protestant Work Ethic and rewards its most productive citizens.

Your assertion that the EU will be a superpower is the most hilarious thing I have ever heard. There may not be anybody left in the EU (if it survives at all in its current form) in 100 years.
China may be a superpower as well as India (less likely) but I believe that both will not be particularly nice places to live until there are massive sea changes in terms of governance and social change.
A staggering number of Indians are not able to read.

I think that the major churches will have a lot less power unless they all of a sudden become more humane, spiritual, and empathetic and less dogmatic.

Ah....yes...
Where have we heard this before?
Europe may indeed be less religious (it might even be more religious), but things aren't likely to change in America (if it sticks to its founding ideals). People have been predicting the fall of religion for hundreds of hyears, and it is yet to come to pass.
Not to mention the billions of people in the rest of the world (who, mind you are neither secular nor white like you).
The evangelical religions are growing and fast.
The mainline religions like Congregationalism, United Church of Christ, Methodist etc. are the ones that are falling apart rapidly (for reasons I will not get into now).
If anything, the "dogmatic" (your words) religions will be even bigger than they are now.

Depending on the choices that we make as individuals and as the human race today, this will effect the quality of life for the future of the human race.

You should read the article The Return of Patriarchy by Phillip Longman in Foreign Policy magazine.
(published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Subscription here)http://www.foreignpolicy.com/users/...foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3376

There are more condensed versions that don't do it justice at all, but would give you a clue (if your mind is really "open" and up for a challenge that is...)

 

[wentworth]

Well, excuse me, but I was there. The "attitudes" were very negative.

The popular press was full of "doom and gloom". So many best sellers were all "end of civilization" themed. We really thought we were going to go "BOOM". And we didn't. So maybe there's some hope for the present....

You are right. Professional doom-mongering has never ceased to make people look smart in the short run and foolish in the long run. Remember "Global Cooling"?

That isn't what I meant, though as I was there too I do agree with you on that point.

I meant there wasn't this apathetic attitude to the world and your neighbour. Yes people were terrified but that was becaused they cared. Do they now? Or have we gone too far down the road of "me and my priorities first , sod the rest"?

Why do people like to lament human self-interest?
Are you really shocked that human beings think only about themselves?
What other species has this magical quality you think is ideal?
This is silly.
Human beings only ever think about themselves. That is human nature. That is how it has always been, and always will be. Smart people will realize this and try to work with it instead of trying to force artificial societies where everybody says they "care" to feel good about themselves, when in reality they don't.

 

[luminum]

100 years? Aren't we optimistic? I expect everything to be dead or nearly dead.

America is going to crumble in at least 20 years...maybe energy policies will eb adopted and any good progressive practices by Europe and China will also be adopted but who knows.

I'm not optimistic about the future of the human race and I see no real reason why I should be.

 

[wentworth]

100 years? Aren't we optimistic? I expect everything to be dead or nearly dead.

America is going to crumble in at least 20 years...maybe energy policies will eb adopted and any good progressive practices by Europe and China will also be adopted but who knows.

I'm not optimistic about the future of the human race and I see no real reason why I should be.

"Progressive practices by China"???
That's a good one...

 

[blooeyz]

Do you think that the new black death will be a mutation of the bird flu and that is why there is all this pr about it? I'm a little concerned, I thought about getting some Tamiflu just for peace of mind.

I agree the rich countries will continue to prosper and the poor countries will fall into anarchy.
We have other methods of obtaining energy and will start using them more often than we do now. I'm putting in wood stove. We'll probably have more nuclear power stations built here in the US, but do you think Zimbabwe or Myanmar can afford those, probably not.

 

[luminum]

"Progressive practices by China"???
That's a good one...

Hence the 'any'. I'm assuming that in terms of construction and environmental efficiency and the fact that China is destined to become a new superpower, that they must come up with some policyies or practices that will help it succeed, even if not for the 'correct' reasons.

 

[metta]

Hence the 'any'. I'm assuming that in terms of construction and environmental efficiency and the fact that China is destined to become a new superpower, that they must come up with some policyies or practices that will help it succeed, even if not for the 'correct' reasons.

Actually, China is starting to take on environmental responsibility. They are creating defined goals to work towards it. They are also growing tons of organic cotton. I think that over time, they will be working more and more on this. Their mpg requirements are already much higher in China than they are in the US.

 

[Sangshao]

In 100 years, humanity will still be here. The less restrictive religious movements will be dead. Homosexuality will be optional and perhaps even less accepted. We'll be coping decently with whatever state the environment is in. There'll be poor countries and rich countries, democracies, republics, and also evil oppressive governments of all flavors. Humans are humans, we're not progressing towards anything, we're not declining from much of anything, we're not improving through evolution, we're not going to become permanently more or less tolerant or more or less religious. Very little that is political, religious, or social is permanent about humanity, it's all cyclical, only the fact that those issues are important is permanent. The only thing that is progressing for sure is science and technology, and that'll keep up as long as we all allow it. An asteroid, world killing disease, or nuclear holocaust is always possible, but I wouldn't put any money on it. Barring any of those, the world is going to be pretty much the same, but with better video games.

 

[Sangshao]

This seems more appropriate as a New Year's Eve thread.

 

[MrBarbrey]

who knows i dont

 

[initiallyyours]

We ain't gonna live that long because we'll all be dead by 2012, according to the ancient Mayans, who I agree with.

And if we're not dead by then we'll be screwed sometime after that. Hey, I'm keeping my expectations low so anything else will be a bonus.

~~Aaron

 

[LarsVenice]

We ain't gonna live that long because we'll all be dead by 2012, according to the ancient Mayans, whom I agree with.

~~Aaron

The year 2012 is merely the end of one Mayan calender and the beginning of another one. There is no Mayan prophesy about everyone dying - the calender has already gone through several cycles, and each time one era ends and another begins.

I did hear a rumor or legend somewhere that said that in 2012 the ancient Mayans would return to rebuild their lost cities. However, much of that rebuilding has already been going on. My favorite Mayan ruin that I visited was Tikal, Guatemala, but I also like Uxmal very much and have been there quite a few times.

 

[BigDestiny]

the fact that China is destined to become a new superpower

I'm not sure I believe that, anymore. With all the fuss over Chinese products this last year, I think that China's future is no more secure than that of any other country. For that matter, given all the problems the U.S. is having with its reputation worldwide, I can't imagine why anyone would want their country to even BE a superpower anymore.

One last thing I'd like to add: all this fuss over overpopulation is misplaced, quite literally. The population density of the developed world isn't that high, and in many countries (like in the EU) population is going down. As prejudiced as it sounds, if there's a crisis resulting from too high a population, it's going to happen in Asia, China included.

Remember, a third of the population of the Earth is located in China and India. And that's not a good thing.

 

[cityboy-stl]

If we can find an efficient, reliable, inexpensive energy source to replace fossil fuels, one that doesn't destroy the environment, everything will be fine. If not, we're doomed. I am convinced it is possible. But believing somewhat in corporate conspiracy I think it will be suppressed until the last possible $$$$ is squeezed out the last drop of oil and we're on the brink of extinction.

 

[Kulindahr]

Simple:

colonize the moon and Mars, so when things on this orb go tits-up, there will be some of us to carry on.

Actually, the colonization of the moon and Mars holds out a prospect never held before: a population selected for intelligence. Only the highly educated would even have a chance to go, and besides being intelligent they'd have to be people who handle stress well and get along with others.

 

[initiallyyours]

The year 2012 is merely the end of one Mayan calender and the beginning of another one. There is no Mayan prophesy about everyone dying - the calender has already gone through several cycles, and each time one era ends and another begins.

I did hear a rumor or legend somewhere that said that in 2012 the ancient Mayans would return to rebuild their lost cities. However, much of that rebuilding has already been going on. My favorite Mayan ruin that I visited was Tikal, Guatemala, but I also like Uxmal very much and have been there quite a few times.

My sister who went to Mexico and came back with a Mayan calendar for me told me that her that the people who she was talking to informed her that the calendar only goes up to 2012 because the Mayans had predicted the region (I'm assuming around Mexico, but maybe around the entire world) flooding with water. But that's what she told me.

After doing some research (ie. imdb, where they're making a movie based on the said apocalypse of the world in 2012; if you want to check it out here is a link http://imdb.com/title/tt0988032/) yeah, you're right.


~~Aaron