Quantcast

The Long-Term Future of Humanity: Your Viewpoint

Changleen

Paranoid Member
Jan 9, 2004
14,335
2,448
Hypernormality
So here on RM we all have different ideas about politics, some more different than others. In the end these ideas (I hope) are informed by an individual's ideas about what the world should become in the future.

I'd like to ask all the political :monkey:s what they want for humanity in 10, 1000 and 100,000 years and more importantly, why they think their politics are more likely than others to begin humanity on the road to achieving these goals.

Some of your goals will be based on religion, some on science, some on something completely different. What do you want for the future of humanity? What should we be aiming for and how do your ideas about politics help make that happen?
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
I think "mankind" will be around for quite awhile but not as we know it. At some point, as human population grows I think we will hit a critical mass where we will be very susceptable to disease, drought, famine etc... Man will survive but things will be very very different from our "modern" world.

Of course I have a theory that something in the human psychie(sp?) causes many people to think this way, just look at all the apocoliptic predictions throughout history and all the fiction written with a story around a decline in society.
 

Tenchiro

Attention K Mart Shoppers
Jul 19, 2002
5,407
0
New England
I can't wait until I am tearing around a desert wasteland in my hotrod, doing battle with mohawk wearing freaks.

A daily life or death struggle over the last few remaining resources, is just what I need.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
Tenchiro said:
I can't wait until I am tearing around a desert wasteland in my hotrod, doing battle with mohawk wearing freaks.

A daily life or death struggle over the last few remaining resources, is just what I need.
Just put up a fake "Sorry Out Of Gas" sign at the local gas station and you'll get to practice today.
 

Reactor

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2005
3,976
1
Chandler, AZ, USA
I think human beings are like yeast. We'll keep devouring the planet and it's resourses until our waste kills. The a giant space alien will drink us.
 

Reactor

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2005
3,976
1
Chandler, AZ, USA
On a serious note. The biggest problem humanity faces is the over indetification with and need to put everything in, groups instead of identifying with humanity as a whole.

Americans, Russians, Christians Muslims, Black, White, Raghead, cracker, Republicans, Democrats, N8, welfare recipients...yadda yadda yadda. People spend so much time identifying with and supporting the advancement of their groups that they end up hurting everyone. As far as I'm concerned the NAACP is just as wrong as the KKK. Any group that promotes the goals of a few over the many is wrong, and devisive.

If people are hungry, starving and don't have a job, we shouldn't be trying to figure out how we pick a group to blame, we should be helping them. If everytime people made a hateful statement they'd think about how they would feel on the receiving end... well there would be a lot less hate.
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
strange to see this post not get much attention...i've been thinking about this on and off for the last year or two, and i can't say i'm too optimistic for the world my children will inherit. kinda bums me out.

i think that for better or for worse, capitalism is one of the key drivers...i am no economist, and could be way off, but the 'bigger, better, more, growth-oriented' mandate of capitalism means that statis isn't an option. CEOs get fired for stagnant company growth. how does this jibe w/ a fixed natural resource? not well, unless huge technological advances can solve some of the issues.

on the other hand, i can't see a system working better than capitalism...any sort of socialist thinking or way of governing just doesn't seem to be very efficient.

thoughts?
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Reactor said:
On a serious note. The biggest problem humanity faces is the over indetification with and need to put everything in, groups instead of identifying with humanity as a whole.

Americans, Russians, Christians Muslims, Black, White, Raghead, cracker, Republicans, Democrats, N8, welfare recipients...yadda yadda yadda. People spend so much time identifying with and supporting the advancement of their groups that they end up hurting everyone. As far as I'm concerned the NAACP is just as wrong as the KKK. Any group that promotes the goals of a few over the many is wrong, and devisive.

If people are hungry, starving and don't have a job, we shouldn't be trying to figure out how we pick a group to blame, we should be helping them. If everytime people made a hateful statement they'd think about how they would feel on the receiving end... well there would be a lot less hate.
I disagree with this.

Human beings are social animals, and part of being social is being at war. It IS just human nature and wars, in the longrun are really not that detrimental to the human race as a whole. Now, things like nuclear weapons can be, but even still, I dont think there'd ever be a war where all life on earth was destroyed. Some people would make it and keep going. Or if not, big deal...

I always wonder why people put such importance on acceptance, diversity, etc... I mean, what good does it do? Stops people from being mean? Awwwwwww. That's cute, but really doesnt change much. If people didnt die from gunshot wounds they'd die from cancer or Aids or traffic accidents, why not keep things interesting and let people be the animals they are?
Trying to domesticate the human struggle for life makes the earth a boring place.
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
I just read a sci-fi book by Jack McDevitt. One interesting concept is over-population. Sure, we'll start to colonize other planets, but there's no way to transport a billion people from Earth to anywhere else... even if we discover worm-hole/quantum transporters where you walk in and *poof*, you're there, cuz how many people will voluntarily leave their home on earth for a new life on another planet?

If we don't start now, we're looking at a serious problem in 50 years. Heck, half of all people that's ever lived are alive now.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
LordOpie said:
I just read a sci-fi book by Jack McDevitt. One interesting concept is over-population. Sure, we'll start to colonize other planets, but there's no way to transport a billion people from Earth to anywhere else... even if we discover worm-hole/quantum transporters where you walk in and *poof*, you're there, cuz how many people will voluntarily leave their home on earth for a new life on another planet?

If we don't start now, we're looking at a serious problem in 50 years. Heck, half of all people that's ever lived are alive now.
Animal populations fluctuate due to overpopulation all the time. When too many deer are in the woods, there's not enough food, and some die of starvation, the strong ones live. Once there are fewer deer, more food becomes available, and the population goes back up. Overpopulation isnt a doomsday threat by any means IMO. Just a phase.
 

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
narlus said:
strange to see this post not get much attention...i've been thinking about this on and off for the last year or two, and i can't say i'm too optimistic for the world my children will inherit. kinda bums me out.

i think that for better or for worse, capitalism is one of the key drivers...i am no economist, and could be way off, but the 'bigger, better, more, growth-oriented' mandate of capitalism means that statis isn't an option. CEOs get fired for stagnant company growth. how does this jibe w/ a fixed natural resource? not well, unless huge technological advances can solve some of the issues.

on the other hand, i can't see a system working better than capitalism...any sort of socialist thinking or way of governing just doesn't seem to be very efficient.

thoughts?
I'd have to agree on the lack of optimism, I fear we may be living in a golden age for mankind and that the world our grandchildren, perhaps even our children, inherit will be a much less fruitful place. Energy will be more expensive, but we'll still be killing each other over it so, plus ca change...

As for the economic side it seems that greed trips us up every time, regulated capitalism does seem the best solution, allow ambition to drive us forward but rein in the excesses. It's really a compromise between true capitalism and true socialism as I see it, which is where we are; it's just that we cannot agree on where the right point is.
 

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
BurlyShirley said:
Animal populations fluctuate due to overpopulation all the time. When too many deer are in the woods, there's not enough food, and some die of starvation, the strong ones live. Once there are fewer deer, more food becomes available, and the population goes back up. Overpopulation isnt a doomsday threat by any means IMO. Just a phase.
It is hard to see mankind being wiped out by overpopulation. It woudl be more of a corrective adjustment. Not good if you are one of the 'adjusted', but god stopped caring a long time ago.
 

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
LordOpie said:
but animals don't have WMDs.
You sure? - I think you'll find that if you check the intelligence thoroughly you will, in fact, see that many of them are desperately trying to obtain them and must be stopped.

I bring you the Global War on Terriers.
 

The Amish

Dumber than N8
Feb 22, 2005
645
0
Reactor said:
If people are hungry, starving and don't have a job, we shouldn't be trying to figure out how we pick a group to blame, we should be helping them. If everytime people made a hateful statement they'd think about how they would feel on the receiving end... well there would be a lot less hate.
I disagree completly. When people/nations are starving, cant support themselve's or are being wiped out by disease, we should do nothing. Survival of the fitest, let them die. We keep helping these people just enough so they can eek by some miserable existance, its no wonder there's so much violence and so many wars. Let the palestinians starve, the africans die off from aids, shi'ites kill the sunnis, in the end it doesnt matter anymore than loosing the dinosaurs. The world would be a much better place with less begging mouths to feed anyways
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
The Amish said:
I disagree completly. When people/nations are starving, cant support themselve's or are being wiped out by disease, we should do nothing. Survival of the fitest, let them die. We keep helping these people just enough so they can eek by some miserable existance, its no wonder there's so much violence and so many wars. Let the palestinians starve, the africans die off from aids, shi'ites kill the sunnis, in the end it doesnt matter anymore than loosing the dinosaurs. The world would be a much better place with less begging mouths to feed anyways
that's a pretty rich statement to make, given that you happened to have won the genetic lottery (healthy white male born in america).
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
narlus said:
that's a pretty rich statement to make, given that you happened to have won the genetic lottery (healthy white male born in america).
You could look at it like that, or that my family did the smart thing and left their hellhole for a better situation for their family. Am I supposed to be sorry for that?
 

narlus

Eastcoast Softcore
Staff member
Nov 7, 2001
24,658
63
behind the viewfinder
BurlyShirley said:
You could look at it like that, or that my family did the smart thing and left their hellhole for a better situation for their family. Am I supposed to be sorry for that?
i'm guessing yr family didn't come from sub-sahara africa or some slum in bangalore. when did they migrate over? and w/ all the hubbub about immigration, you think that the masses could come in if they somehow found the means to get transport over to the states?
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
narlus said:
i'm guessing yr family didn't come from sub-sahara africa or some slum in bangalore. when did they migrate over? and w/ all the hubbub about immigration, you think that the masses could come in if they somehow found the means to get transport over to the states?
so what y'all are saying is, the descendents of slaves should really be thanking whitey?
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
narlus said:
i'm guessing yr family didn't come from sub-sahara africa or some slum in bangalore. when did they migrate over? and w/ all the hubbub about immigration, you think that the masses could come in if they somehow found the means to get transport over to the states?
1895 and sometime during WW2, both from Poland. While the masses couldnt get in now, they had a chance...
 

Tenchiro

Attention K Mart Shoppers
Jul 19, 2002
5,407
0
New England
BurlyShirley said:
1895 and sometime during WW2, both from Poland. While the masses couldnt get in now, they had a chance...
Since my family has been here since before the US existed I would appreciate it if you and your kind left. We don't want you here and you don't belong.

Thanks. :monkey:

(Since when did this becaome an anti-immigration thread)
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
BurlyShirley said:
Human beings are social animals, and part of being social is being at war. It IS just human nature and wars, in the longrun are really not that detrimental to the human race as a whole. Now, things like nuclear weapons can be, but even still, I dont think there'd ever be a war where all life on earth was destroyed.
Yes thats true, its natural behavior. Wars, violence, or murder are definately not restricted to humans. You can see similar behaviors in wild in higher mammals (chimps, dolphins) and other animals.

Chimps like to hunt down monkeys and eat them. Also they go on campaigns to fight other groups and beat each other to death (I think they also eat rival's offspring occasionally).

Dolphins are known to kill dolphins (for example, when not of their offspring) and beat/kill porpoises purely for fun (they don't eat them at all, just beat and bite them to death).

Natural disasters (earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and asteriods) can surpass the power of our own weapons and the Earth still goes on living.

Humans are arrogant to think that they are above animals or can destroy all life on Earth.
 

kinghami3

Future Turbo Monkey
Jun 1, 2004
2,239
0
Ballard 4 life.
LordOpie said:
mmmm, Kentucky Fried People.
Just you wait...


The way I see it, people have been around for a helluva long time, and I don't see any reason we're not going to last that much longer. Nature has an amazing ability to balance itself out. Dinosaurs were on the face of the earth for hundreds of millions of years, and they were nowhere near as resourceful as humans.
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Tenchiro said:
Since my family has been here since before the US existed I would appreciate it if you and your kind left. We don't want you here and you don't belong.

Thanks. :monkey:

(Since when did this becaome an anti-immigration thread)
Too bad your kind wasnt tough enough to make the laws then, I say...
 

BurlyShirley

Rex Grossman Will Rise Again
Jul 4, 2002
19,180
17
TN
Westy said:
Our grandchildren will be slaving in dirty factories making cheap crap for Chinese consumer.
We have lots of land, and people are breeding less. If manufacturing started coming back to the states...where our workers could make it cheaply again...would that necessarily be bad?

I dont mind seeing China as THE superpower, Im just glad we have nukes to keep em' off our banks.
 

fluff

Monkey Turbo
Sep 8, 2001
5,673
2
Feeling the lag
The Amish said:
I disagree completly. When people/nations are starving, cant support themselve's or are being wiped out by disease, we should do nothing. Survival of the fitest, let them die. We keep helping these people just enough so they can eek by some miserable existance, its no wonder there's so much violence and so many wars. Let the palestinians starve, the africans die off from aids, shi'ites kill the sunnis, in the end it doesnt matter anymore than loosing the dinosaurs. The world would be a much better place with less begging mouths to feed anyways
So should the residents of New Orleans have been left to die?
 

LordOpie

MOTHER HEN
Oct 17, 2002
21,022
3
Denver
BurlyShirley said:
fixed for its true meaning.
I don't really care cuz the people who stayed behind were idiots. There were options to get out in advanced and the weather service was screaming to leave.


But back to the original topic... if you want to see what I think is the most likely version of our future hundreds of years from now, read Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" and parallel novels.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,232
20,015
Sleazattle
narlus said:
i wanna hear more people's take on capitalism as a destructive force for the longevity of our planet/way of living.
I don't think capitalism is the problem. Imagine what would happen to the planet if our current administration took over the economy. The problem is greed, it is natural survival instinct. My dog is greedy, he would eat himself sick everyday if he could. We have found ourselves in a state where the greed could be considered excessive and damaging in the long term. Have socialists countries treated the environment better, no. Some have but that is more because of that is what the people want.
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
narlus said:
i wanna hear more people's take on capitalism as a destructive force for the longevity of our planet/way of living.
Don't be silly. Man can't even come close to ending life on Earth (at least not yet).