What Is The Future Of Humanity?

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Philosophy Now
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What Is The Future Of Humanity?

Post by Philosophy Now »

The following philosophical forecasts of our fate each win an unforeseeable book.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/119/What_Is_The_Future_Of_Humanity
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Noax
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Re: What Is The Future Of Humanity?

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Most of the respondents just take note of current trends: Limited resources, nuclear proliferation, and global warming. The message is for all of us to, as Shane Mc Donnel puts it, organize into groups to cause change to happen. But no such change is suggested. The worst outcome, assuming we find a way to prevent violence and unfair distribution of resources, is a world with uninhibited prosperity. The exponential curve of resource consumption eventually has to catch up with finite resources, and sharing everything is the worst solution since it means nobody has quite enough.

D Tarkington notes not only the growth of the power of the right in most advanced countries, but the will of the voters for this sort of thinking. Perhaps the collapse of the house of cards is for the best. The longer it takes, the harder it is going to fall. For us to come through all that, we would seem to need to leave behind the ability to grow from the ashes. But that path is not being taken as far as I can see.

Nobody seems to actually suggest a long term goal, and back that goal up with why it is a good thing. Sure, the fairy story about spreading to the stars as Ian Rizzo suggests, but without solving our internal problems first, that just drags war to the stars. The ability to destroy one's enemy with first strike without the thread of mutual destruction cannot end well.
surreptitious57
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Re: What Is The Future Of Humanity?

Post by surreptitious57 »

Whatever the future of humanity is it will ultimately become extinct like with all species
Unless we can colonise other planets life on Earth will only exist for another billion years
After that the rise in the surface temperature of the oceans shall make life unsustainable
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Noax
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Re: What Is The Future Of Humanity?

Post by Noax »

surreptitious57 wrote:Whatever the future of humanity is it will ultimately become extinct like with all species
They're not all extinct.
Unless we can colonise other planets life on Earth will only exist for another billion years
I think the article was referencing 2-3 zeroes of years, not nine. Yes, long term, we go extinct, even if we find a place to delay it a while. I somehow don't think it will come to that. Fermi paradox and all.
Walker
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Re: What Is The Future Of Humanity?

Post by Walker »

The best of times and the worst of times, but that's already been noticed.
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