Where are we headed(future of the human race)

[PC2]

There is proof number one. Number two is there Are asteroids out there that can kill us. We currently have no way to stop them. Billions of years or not, look at how fragmented we are. Some places excel in medicine, others in science, others in math. Its a no brainer that we would be far more progressed as an entire species if we were to work together.

Now, that is not to say we won't finally start working together to be able to over come very real threats in the future. Global warming is among that list as well. I am not doomsaying per say. Just pointing out the obvious. We are weaker fragmented and would be stronger as whole.

Oh so you are just talking about the sun and asteroids. There is no proof they are issues anytime soon.

The world is already united and we are on the greatest uniting medium right now!

[Zantos]

Oh so you are just talking about the sun and asteroids. There is no proof they are issues anytime soon.

The world is already united and we are on the greatest uniting medium right now!

We are united? You're joking right? NK wanting to kill just about everyone. ISIS attacking people left and right. Russia and the US can't get along for beans. But yeah, we are united.

I don't need proof of anything being an immediate threat. If you want something more immediate, then take a look at how we don't get along. How wars are still being fought. I am more along the lines of trying to discuss the future, as is what the op asked for. The future is simple. We could be killed by so many things that can be avoid if we would stop threatening each other for five minutes and combine our resources and smarts.

[Deleted]

Hopefully removing "every man for himself". Or atleast giving it to the horde too.

Totally that above .....

Only way we survive as a species is to work together otherwise we fail

[Zantos]

Totally that above .....

Only way we survive as a species is to work together otherwise we fail

Exactly what I've been saying

[PC2]

Only way we survive as a species is to work together otherwise we fail

We went from 100 million people to 7 billion people (and growing) with an FFA attitude, without global socialism/communism. The idea that we cant survive otherwise is absurd.

[Zantos]

We went from 100 million people to 7 billion people as we are now, without global socialism/communism. The idea that we cant survive otherwise is absurd.

Why do you say that? Just because we can sustain enough food for populace growth? There are other things that can threaten a species other than just food. Like an invasive species.

[ringpriest]

I consider myself an optimist, as well as a realist. But the direction several of the first world countries and their permission of atrocities has staggered my faith in our future. How can we survive-if we even deserve to-if we keep committing crimes against innocents, the planet, the less fortunate, against women and children? I'm hoping one or more of you can show me a light at the end of this dark dark tunnel. Or confirm my prognosis.

Don't dwell on "the news" - despite what the media like to report (because blood, violence and fear sell), globally infant mortality is down, deaths by violence are down, war is down, disease is down, and education and healthcare are up. The human race as a whole is literally better off than it's ever been.
http://thinkprogress.org/security/20...human-history/
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debat...s-why-its-not/


That said, if you want some cynicism, human civilization is going to crash hard when the current run of globalization runs out, and the longer it goes on, the worse the crash will be; and just to make things extra fun, we're now living in a world that can only feed a tiny fraction of its population without global industrialization and we're headed for the Thermopocalypse. Barring pie-in-the-sky technological revolutions of a magnitude to make fire, printing, industry, and IT all look like has-beens, the human race is going to catastrophically crash within 200 years, probably a lot sooner - our systems are unstable and subject to all sorts of nasty positive feedback.
http://www.theguardian.com/environme...udy-scientists
http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...aring-collapse

So pick whichever interpretation lets you sleep at night, tell yourself I'm a nut for mentioning the other one, and get on with your life.

[PC2]

Like an invasive species.

That is actually an argument in favor of some form of isolationism. Particular if its some type of super bug or virus.

[ringpriest]

Oh so you are just talking about the sun and asteroids. There is no proof they are issues anytime soon.

And there won't be, until we get smacked, hard. Imminent asteroid impact is bordering on being an Outside Context Problem, "the kind of problem that most civilizations would encounter just once, and which they tended to encounter rather in the same way a sentence encountered a full stop".

[Zantos]

That is actually an argument in favor of some form of isolationism. Particular if its some type of super bug or virus.

You think a virus deadly enough to wipe us out wouldn't be spread? We have the means to spread one easily. Guess you got a third, more immediate point of what is threatening us if we don't work together. In the form of what @ringpriest said.

We need to come together as a whole and solve major issues. You cannot just keep putting them off until Oops, its too late. They need to be addressed now in order for our species to thrive and survive. This fighting among ourselfs is of no use and will ultimately assure our downfall.

[PC2]

That said, if you want some cynicism, human civilization is going to crash hard when the current run of globalization runs out, and the longer it goes on, the worse the crash will be; and just to make things extra fun, we're now living in a world that can only feed a tiny fraction of its population without global industrialization and we're headed for the Thermopocalypse. Barring pie-in-the-sky technological revolutions of a magnitude to make fire, printing, industry, and IT all look like has-beens, the human race is going to catastrophically crash within 200 years, probably a lot sooner - our systems are unstable and subject to all sorts of nasty positive feedback.

All of this is pretty vague. At worst it just means that the human population needs to exist at a sub-7 bil level in the future. Even that does not necessarily imply anyone needs to be culled though.

[Zantos]

And there won't be, until we get smacked, hard. Imminent asteroid impact is bordering on being an Outside Context Problem, "the kind of problem that most civilizations would encounter just once, and which they tended to encounter rather in the same way a sentence encountered a full stop".

I cannot agree with this comparison. A sentence would stop from a surprise, sudden, unforeseen event. We have seen the devastation an asteroid could bring. We just refuse to work together as a whole to find a solution to prevent it from happening again. only this time, to us instead of the dinosaurs.

[Frostweaver]

Fyi, humans are not a race.

This^

/10char

[Zantos]

All of this is pretty vague. At worst it just means that the human population may need to exist at a sub-7 bil level in the future. Even that does not necessarily imply anyone needs to be culled though.

And how would that happen? All out war? We are not capable of ensuring the human race stays at any levels when we wont even work together. Why should we? If we work together, a solution is all the more likely than if we remain separated in the various fields of research.

[PC2]

We need to come together as a whole and solve major issues.

We already do that.

And how would that happen?

Some people will have to die of old age without having kids.

[Zantos]

We already do that.



Some people will have to die of old age without having kids.

First, what major, global crisis has this world, in its entirety, come together to solve?
Second, what makes you think we could regulate that as we are now? Some countries may choose to kill people off. Others may see this as a chance to kill other countries to ensure their own countries survival. What reasons do you have to believe the entire world would agree to that vs the leaders looking out for their own nations / countries instead.

[PC2]

First, what major, global crisis has this world, in its entirety, come together to solve?

As far as I know the globe has banned major CFC use.

Second, what makes you think we could regulate that as we are now?

Because if we don't then nature will regulate it for us.

[Zantos]

As far as I know the globe has banned major CFC use.

Not sure what this is honestly. So I cannot speak about that.

Because if we don't then nature will regulate it for us.

That is my point though. The sun and asteroids are both natural things that could cause great devastation. We know about them being a possible threat, yet we don't work together to premptivly attempt to solve the issue. The same thing applies to this scenario as well. If we work together, there wont be a collapse.

[Ragedaug]

How can we survive-if we even deserve to-if we keep committing crimes against innocents, the planet, the less fortunate, against women and children?

Prolly the same way we have survived throughout history though all the things you mentioned were happening. To that end I would challenge you to find the period of time in history when those atrocities weren't happening.

I'm hoping one or more of you can show me a light at the end of this dark dark tunnel.

Use the light from your computer display, since you are looking at that currently anyway. The fact that you can see that is proof that humanity has survived before and the evidence that suggests we will continue to.

[CmdrShep2154]

Fyi, humans are not a race.

Are you indoctrinated?