Todays History

[Necromancer]

Saw LVI, in Theaters from 04/05/2104

I will kill you for that.

 

[Arseface]

the only past trends that are relevant and come to mind are these two:
1. the human race has and will continue to expand.
2. technological advances are of an unpredictable size and nature.

the human race will grow at the same or at a larger rate because as the population grows, so do the number of people who could produce offspring with one another. if you want to look at past trends, here's a graph supporting an exponential growth that has remained true for the past 4,000 years of human history.

it might slow down how fast the population could have been but without a global power to enforce restrictions to childbirth (and entering the realm of 1984) such a thing is literally impossible. i used to think it would be common sense that two people shouldn't have more than 2 kids. if people left the same amount of space they took up the population would stop growing and remain static. the fact is that most people don't think that way, and would rather have 3+ children. it's unrealistic to expect everyone would share your ideologies. speaking from personal experience, most people would prefer to regard the worlds problems the same way you regarded the numbers on that graph: out of sight, out of mind.



the statistics supporting his claims are sound. human growth growing exponentially. the number of resources declining are not things that you can just ignore and say "it'll all sort out when we develop the new technology".

if i let go of a rock and predict that it will hit the ground, i am not a pessimist/alarmist. i am someone who understands that gravity is an ever-present universal law that will only be avoided if someone invents a device that can make the rock float, builds it, and uses it on said rock before impact (providing they don't miss).

Do you know the reason why the human population has grown so dramatically in recent history? Because advances in technology have allowed us to support larger populations. Think about if we had six billion people and we didn't have irrigation, or crop rotation? Then, we'd have a problem.

All I'm saying is that in 100 years or so, we'll almost certainly have another breakthrough like that. And if it actually does become a problem, then you can bet that there will be some kind of breakthrough.

but our existence is in the long run meaningless. there really is no better or worse, those are both concepts developed by the human condition. with us or without us the universe will continue doing what it does none the wiser. furthermore if we do not engage in population control, resources will decline and people will die anyway. even if you denounce his cynical claims we're still left with people killing each other for food. before you call me grim, realize that it's inevitable until we discover mass effect and join the universes intelligent beings in the citadel where we can start worrying about the threat of the reapers.

Ok, so we're not important with regards to the universe and the continuation of time, and making sure atoms keep spinning at the same rate. I bet you'd love to live to see tomorrow. The universe doesn't give a ****. Does that mean it's right for me to kill you?

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

All I'm saying is that in 100 years or so, we'll almost certainly have another breakthrough like that. And if it actually does become a problem, then you can bet that there will be some kind of breakthrough.

fair enough, but i don't see where you're drawing that from. i don't smell any hip new technology around the corner, unless it's one of those breakthroughs that the military makes for the sole purpose of pwning and surprises us all with it one fine day.

Ok, so we're not important with regards to the universe and the continuation of time, and making sure atoms keep spinning at the same rate. I bet you'd love to live to see tomorrow. The universe doesn't give a s***. Does that mean it's right for me to kill you?

sure i'd love to see tomorrow. i'm not suicidal and i have a survival instinct. if you killed me 1 on 1 yeah that's murder, plain and simple. but if there was a planned genocide which i became a victim of, which allowed my children to lead a better life, i don't think i'd be cursing it from the afterlife. don't get me wrong, i'd do anything while i'm alive to make their lives better, but if it would improve not just their lives but the lives of everyone on the planet 100% guaranteed then i'd have no problem taking one for the team.

plus it'd be cool to get your name on some big fancy recognized memorial without ever joining the military.

 

[Tsuyu]

You know how we've just left the industrial revolution/age? My social science teacher once told me a few years ago that we're entering the information revolution/age and I'd agree with him; just compare the access your average Joe has to global information today than the 80's or even 90's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_Age

 

[Firis]

Cheez did a good job of explaining my point.

 

[D3m190d]

It's funny that this thread is brought up, now. We're in the middle of one of the most important times of human civilization. Believe it or not, the next decades will most likely set our future. If we succeed, we're victorious. If we fail, we suffer a great defeat. We must all unite to work on a better world, not fight with each other'. It sounds simple, and well, the process of doing it IS simple. But it's hard to let go of human nature. We are, after all, animals and we want to take care of ourselves first. Some peple tale it so far as to wage war; They literally doom future generations.

On technology; There's a lot of research on sustainable living. We must not rely on the limited supplies of oil; Instead we must harvest the energy that keeps coming and coming. There's also people who try to make it easier to grow food anywhere, for everyone.

On human growth; It is undeniable we will have more people in the future. Okay, it is deniable, and the numbers always fluctuate. Maybe the growth will be less tomorrow, than today. But still, we simply want to have more people. Hopefully we manage to succeed in above-said technology, but I also hope space exploration will go well. There is LOTS of space out ther, which we should use if we keep growing.

On uniting; This is where it starts and this is the hardest part. There are, though, signs of people coming together. The Europian Union may seem like a stupid example, but it does show joining forces is possible. Egypt just had a revolution, and Lybia is having one, too. Of course, the military will be in charge first and we can only hope what they will do... Anyway, there are both positive and negative signs to this, and I hope the side that enforces unition/unization (?) will win.

On yourself; One part of achieving the future is to help, yourself. This is where a lot of people give up, with either of two arguments:
''If everybody else does it, what difference would I make?''
''If nobody else does it, why should I?''
Everybody should care about science, the environment and peace. If one person fails, then quickly other people will too. Again, our human nature cares about ourselves before everyone.

All I can say is that I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that humanity will even unlock the path to the future. If we 'know' we will fail, or already fail, future generations won't have a chance restoring our faults. Or worse; they won't even be there. And to complete my long sticky message about love and stuff: Let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya My Lord.

 

[Tsuyu]

We just need to stop offering aid to the third world countries so they'll die out. If you thought the environmental situation was bad enough now, just wait a few years until the majority of the third world countries start burning oil and other non-renewable sources for energy. Then the sh** will hit the fan.

Just look at China over the last few years; they're popping up oil-based energy plants quite literally at a rate of one per day.

 

[HobbeBrain]

Apparently, the people who learn about the 2000's as ancient history will look like this.

Take a look at those bollocks.

On a serious note though, I do wonder about the near future and the development with stuff like that and everything. In 10 years they'll probably be teaching about 9/11 in schools. Which will make me feel old even though by then I'll only be 24.

 

[SelfAppointedGunslinger]

Who knows? maybe in 150 years society may view authors like JK Rowling in the same way charles dickens is seen today.

 

[HobbeBrain]

As I said, maybe in the 4000's they'll call this era the Middle Ages.

 

[Arseface]

fair enough, but i don't see where you're drawing that from. i don't smell any hip new technology around the corner, unless it's one of those breakthroughs that the military makes for the sole purpose of pwning and surprises us all with it one fine day.

I'm drawing it from the rate of advance we're seeing now. 100 years ago the idea of a modern PC would have quite literally seemed like magic. We'll almost certainly see similar advances over the next 100 years.

sure i'd love to see tomorrow. i'm not suicidal and i have a survival instinct. if you killed me 1 on 1 yeah that's murder, plain and simple. but if there was a planned genocide which i became a victim of, which allowed my children to lead a better life, i don't think i'd be cursing it from the afterlife. don't get me wrong, i'd do anything while i'm alive to make their lives better, but if it would improve not just their lives but the lives of everyone on the planet 100% guaranteed then i'd have no problem taking one for the team.

First of all: thats fine for you to want to do that. I might not want to do that, though. I might want to experience the future for myself, instead of giving it to someone else. Selfish? Probably, but like you said, the universe doesn't care.

We just need to stop offering aid to the third world countries so they'll die out. If you thought the environmental situation was bad enough now, just wait a few years until the majority of the third world countries start burning oil and other non-renewable sources for energy. Then the sh** will hit the fan.

Just look at China over the last few years; they're popping up oil-based energy plants quite literally at a rate of one per day.

I don't know if we need to go quite that far. You're forgetting that the vast majority of the world's population exists in those countries, and they don't all want coal energy. The developed world has to put research into cheap renewable energy, and lead by example with it. Offer them cheap renewable energy facilities and they wont need coal.

Besides, once we run out of the stuff it wont matter anyway.

 

[cheezMcNASTY]

First of all: thats fine for you to want to do that. I might not want to do that, though. I might want to experience the future for myself, instead of giving it to someone else. Selfish? Probably, but like you said, the universe doesn't care.

not selfish, just based on the false assumption that you'd have a choice in the matter. i don't think that mass genocides leave much room for volunteers ahead of time :cheez:

 

[Arseface]

not selfish, just based on the false assumption that you'd have a choice in the matter. i don't think that mass genocides leave much room for volunteers ahead of time :troll:

Hence why they're **** ideas. You can't justify something like genocide because you think it will give your children a better life. That's what Hitler thought.

 

[Pikpik]

Things I'm sure will go into the History books, the Middle East wars and rebuilding, Terrorism in the 21st century, maybe the revolutions in the Middle East if enough happen or cause a problem for the rest of the world. The United States recession, if it falls to the crumbling of America into civil war, seccesion, 3rd world nation status, ect. would no doubt go down in history as the fall of the last great empire.

 

[L0ki]

Might I add: Cloning.

 

[Zarkes]

I'm just hoping that in 50 years or so, modern medicine will have progressed to the point where we have eminated ageing and death. Considering the rapid advance of technology today, it's not unforseeable.

If they released that stuff and no one got sick or died then theyd have successfully destroyed a multibillion dollar medical empire in one generation. I'm sure they'll have it but it will only cost fortunes.

Nah whats gunna happen is robots will get more and more advanced and humans will get more and more sickly. People will get robotic parts to enhance their performance in all areas and robots will get more and more human like until they start using organs because of the efficincy in nature.

Then everyone will be prosecuted the same because a brain in a robot body is it a robot or a human, and a human with an artificial brain. Sometime after that it will have progressed to the point where both species can multiply and reproduce together forming the homo evolutis.

This will happen of course, absolutley. Your cellphone has more technology then the lunar module that landed on the moon.
Think of what America did in 200 years compared to the British Empire that took a millinium, think what oil did in 100years. Think what computers did in 20 years, the internet in 10. 50 years is now a huge extreme difference in the human experiance then it ever was before.

And that's mah schpeel.

 

[Zarkes]

On Arseface argument/debate there is only one other organism like humans on earth, the virus. It comes it expands and eats up its environment until it can no longer support them and destroys itself. 1.The only reason Humanity has been "advancing" is because of economic growth. How fast you can take from the world, turn into something, turn it into garbage.
2.We always percerviered because we could move to new territory and expand again, and then move again. But now there is no where to go. Other planets? The moon? A cellphone has more tech in it then the lunar landing, I don't know why but we aren't allowed to leave Earth.
3. Besides world wars there have relativly been no worldy crisis. Normally we would reach 9billion people but I don't think that will happen. We'll have another world war, or a pandemic and everyone will be forced to take sterilizing vaccines. I'm not saying 1984 orwellian crap although I believe its already happening.

Just that scientists say 7000 people control 7billion in our world today, we aren't spiraling out of control even though it looks like it its part of a plan, order out of chaos. We are in a new age now, the last time this happened the religous "enlightenment" wars wiped so many people out that no one could read except high priests who retained the knowledge from rome.
We are already in a world food crisis right now. It started because America was so poor we started burning ethonal instead of selling it as food to other countries. (imagine bieng so broke that you have to start burning your own food to keep warm)

Sorry if this is all to whacky or ridiculous to everyone but in conclusion we are at a point in history where we can solve any problem (in the world) but for reasons we choose not to solve all of them.

An example, I just invented a drug that cures every disease in the world. Now scientists can finally move on and find other ways to make trillions of dollars a year selling drugs.

Btw if this is all ridiculous then ignore my post but if you wanna add/debate/refute then quote me. If its dumb then it's not worth your time quoting me to tell me its not worth your time.

 

[Skotekal]

First of all: thats fine for you to want to do that. I might not want to do that, though. I might want to experience the future for myself, instead of giving it to someone else. Selfish? Probably, but like you said, the universe doesn't care.

There are few things I'd be willing to trade my life for, and the safety of someone else's is one of them. You probably don't believe that, but it's true.

Not sure if these two apply together, but I remember you mentioning this awhile ago.

 

[Arseface]

Not sure if these two apply together, but I remember you mentioning this awhile ago.

One involves me volunteering my life for someone elses. The other involves someone else forcing me to give my life for someone elses. Only I should be able to make that decisiion.

 

[Tsuyu]

I don't know if we need to go quite that far. You're forgetting that the vast majority of the world's population exists in those countries, and they don't all want coal energy. The developed world has to put research into cheap renewable energy, and lead by example with it. Offer them cheap renewable energy facilities and they wont need coal.

Besides, once we run out of the stuff it wont matter anyway.

And you think us advanced countries will offer these new energy sources for free to the third world? The main reason why we're still using fossilized fuel is because it is so ridiculously cheap in the long run; and we're countries that can afford the luxury of other solutions if we wanted. The third world has no such option.