Are you Opimistic about the future of the Human Race?
We live in interesting but precarious times...
Perhaps we through our leaders could have done a lot more to protect our little blue dot in space from the ravages of Human nature.
The real question is will the next generation be enlightened enough to stop or even reverse the damage mankind has done up to now?
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I hope not...
NothinnXpreVails
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
2
Hope is a fine thing...no good praying..?
Nope. I think we're fucked. It's just a matter of time. We've done this to
ourselves. We are the architects of our own demise.
Or an asteroid.
Whichever comes first.
KKGator
Level 9
Aug 10, 2018
1
Nope. I hope Hawking was right and they are extinct within the next 100 years.
SkotlandSkye
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
I know I will be...
But we are a warlike and greedy bunch arn't we?...
Who knows..what it will be war..global warming..virus..asteroid...
On the one hand:
The biosphere and human society are complex systems, and complex systems tend to be remarkably resilient, self-healing and durable.
We are wired by natural selection to find it far easier to perceive existential threats that aren't really that severe, and to pretty much not even notice positive developments.
There are lenses through which to see the data that tell us that death from war and disease are at an all-time low, that extreme, grinding poverty is at an all time low, and so forth.
On the other hand:
We are beating the crap out of the biosphere and the institutions that preserve civil society. To the point of reaching some serious tipping-points.
As Trumpism and similar phenomena elsewhere in the world demonstrate, way too many people are so deeply in thrall to delusional, irrational thinking and immortality projects that you can readily game out some pretty dystopian outcomes.
In theory, life, including intelligent life, should be plentiful in the universe and there's no evidence of it. This may well be because there are certain evolutionary "brick walls" that many species encounter and never get past. One of which may well be the acquisition of technology before having the self-control to use it wisely. This may be us, right now, in this moment.
So ... "am I optimistic" is a question that gets answered differently on different days. I think that religion is inherently doomed over the long run, but may bring us down in its death throes. I don't know how it's going to turn out. Close call and whew, glad it missed us? Dystopian detour but ultimately works out? We manage to drive ourselves extinct after all? I really don't pretend to know.
Selfishly, whatever happens isn't likely to fully manifest in the 10 to 30 years I probably have left, particularly since I'm not racially or culturally or economically very vulnerable. I'm using the time I have left to argue for critical thinking, empathy, and compassion, and try to demonstrate it as best I can. Seems like the best contribution I can still make.
mordant
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
2
Wow Mordant..truely comprehensive and first class response..a few thousand more well infofmed human beings like you and we could get things done..cheers.
NO!!
Drsmash253
Level 7
Aug 10, 2018
1
Pessimistic but ok. Thank you Drsmash. ?
I am 100% positive that the human race will continue to exist, but it will look different than it does now.
I can't tell you how it will be different without a lot more data, but we'll still be around. The earth may be more fucked up but we are a species that survives and thrives, there is no reason to think that the future of our species will be different. Many things that we thought 50 years ago were irreversible we've found ways to reverse. Innovation has not slowed and although many people think we'll destroy the earth, I'm betting we'll make it pretty fucked up and then fix that too.
Optimism and pessimism are wastes of time, who cares how full the glass is if you're heading over with a full pitcher?
mattersauce
Level 7
Aug 10, 2018
1
I get what you are saying..that human's innate adaptability, tenacity, and sheer will to survive will carry us through all but the most cataclysmic of planetary disasters..and maybe even some of them..right?
Always optimistic about our species and all species. We will continue to firstly fight for survival, and then find a way to be happy. All this junk we hear is just here and now. Hell we once did not even have language, WE once did not even have fire. We will survive but it may not be what you want, however it will be what mother nature delivers to us. We make it, break it and then reinstate it.
EMC2
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
That's an optimistic fire in the belly outlook..maybe we will survive everything nature throws at us..but there is always the nuclear threat...we must be vigilant...
Ironic that in the so-called "information-age" too many decisions are being made by people who value opinion over facts and who don't seem to care about anything outside of their own beliefs/existence... I'd like to think that cooler heads will prevail, and as a parent I want to think that my kids will be able to enjoy a better world, but mankind currently appears to be moving in the wrong direction and it actually frightens me... I remember when I first saw Idiocracy back in the 90's and the first 5 minutes scared the shit out of me... Now we're living it... :/
Veldoran
Level 6
Aug 10, 2018
1
Me too.
It's the direction we have taken ..say since 9/11..
It's just roughly since that era that we have all lost our way with rampant capitalism..war..religious strife...
Trump is fanning the flames too..almost like he is taking advantage of some people's fears and others unbridled hate..
But there are other things in this era of alternative truth, that my girls are asking me about too, that I really can't explain without blushing..
I suppose we must do our best with the kids..they represent our only hope for getting things going in the right direction..
We must endeavour to persevere..as they say.
@Hitchens Exactly... Although I'd like to be optimistic, the people who are running things now are the same peace/love generation that spawned the summer of love... So, despite the fact that many young people have great ideas and dreams, I fear that they'll be crushed in the grinder that is reality... I hold out hope, but I'm not confident. :/
I hope you are wrong..but deep down I am worried..not for myself of course...I would have liked to leave this life at least with the knowledge that I leaving it in a much better condition than I found it upon arriving..but sadly many of the basics have deteriorated ..even many animals have disappeared.. with more about to..difficult issues to explain to an 8 and 11 year old. ?☹
This question come up a lot, though it can be worded differently and with a different spin.
I generally shout at the screen "Nope - no hope!"
But the truth is, I do have hope, just not a lot of it.
I think there are very smart and enlightened people out there that have the foresight and ability to make the changes necessary for a happy and contented future for the human race.
Unfortunately, I also believe that there are far more unenlightened people with not enough sense to see the big picture and these are the masses who drive change (or the lack there of).
Hand-wavingly, the human race is it's own worst enemy.
scurry
Level 9
Aug 10, 2018
1
I know it must come up in some form or other..yet still there is no harm in discussing it for those that haven't yet given an opinion..or were out marching the last time it came up..lol..but yes repition is tedious..still I do think the spin here is a valid one..since it counters that the next generation may have acquired enough world savvy through social media and education..to turn the tide of shit..excuse my French.. we should reserve some hope for their future. ?
@Hitchens For Sure - no harm in bringing it up again.
I would have scrolled by if irked me to any degree.
I think the way this question was phrased, it got me to look at it from a different angle, hence my reply.
Funny , you mention that this generation may have acquired enough world savvy to turn the TIDE of shit. Valid point. Except this is the same generation that thought it was a good idea to East TIDE pods. So who knows where we're headed. 
Yes, and I'm equally optimistic about the future of nature. Humanity will constantly be at odds with itself over advancing technology, yet continue to produce amazing new developments and discoveries, like gene editing and particle accelerators. Meanwhile, nature will continue to develop its own fuck-yous like antibiotic resistant bacteria and dormant viruses that find refuge under ice shelves.
chalupacabre
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
2
Yea..its like we are some sort of strange machine with a hammer in one hand..and a brush and pan in the other..destructively creating problems..then creating clever ways to clean up the mess. My brother was a Professor of Genetics in Chicago..now he is a director in a prominent genome commercial company in Boston..he tells me of interesting developments there..
I would be very concerned about our precarious situation with antibiotic resistant bacteria..even more so than viruses..never thought I would be thinking that one day....Thank you.
Trump's the president. So my answer is no. Thanks to him ruining my country, I can't escape this perpetual state of nihilistic depression I'm in.
TheDarkNolanite
Level 6
Aug 10, 2018
2
Believe it or not..this will pass..and one hopes that the Generation growing up today..even in the most conservative communities will remember this dreadful era...and learn from it!
@Hitchens I hope so, dude. I had a bipolar meltdown the other day when I read that 43% of republicans think Trump should have a right to censor or shut down media outlets he doesn't like. It's horrifying. And when you have mental health problems to begin with, reading these things makes it so much worse.
Look.. don't allow this kind of thing get you down.
That's just the kind of tactic they use to make us question our sanity...
That's the thing you see they don't give a shit about anything or anyone..just money power, guns and god...
They lie openly..they interfere with freedoms hard one..they pollute the water and ravage the land..they care not a jot for wildlife..unless it's to poison and shoot them..they betray their friends with trade wars..yet they befriend America's enemies..hanging out their own intelligence services..the list of bullshit is just endless....
But you need to keep your shit together..because these goons will not be in power forever..
Not lately, especially with cheeto in charge ruining the country and all the racist creeping out of their holes. But I have no children, by choice, thankfully. Maybe it’s selfish, but after I die it won’t bother me anymore lol
Kriptikos
Level 6
Aug 10, 2018
1
Well don't go too soon, stick around to see 45 become something like a bad sad memory..it will be wort it! Thank you.
I'm mixed. Things were pretty lousy years ago, too, but in different ways.
bleurowz
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
I know there were different concerns and hurdles to climb in every generation..maybe some of their solutions were kicking a can down the same road we are kicking the can down..
But I think I know what you mean..somethings are getting better compared to before..somethings are getting decidedly worse..we are waiting to exhale again.
With or without us, the future will happen....why worry??
IamNobody
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
I choose to believe it will be better with the likes of people like us around to shake things up..or at least throw a sceptical freethinking eye over the proceedings. ??
Two things" Human beings are a species, not a race. Second, human beings will eventually become extinct -- if some catastrophic event does not destry the entire earth before then.
wordywalt
Level 9
Aug 10, 2018
1
I stand corrected..we are indeed a species.
Furthermore you are correct to point out that we will at some stage become an extinct species..as will all life on earth.
It's really the bit in between I was looking at. I may take it then that you would be ever so slightly leaning towards pessimism then. Cheers. ?
All humans will die.
All humans will cease to exist the moment you or I no longer do.
What is so important that humans should continue to exist at all?
We are simply a destructive invasive species on this planet.
Anonbene
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
Ok you are not in the business of sugar-coating things. Fair enough.. I suppose you would not be in the optimist group..more ultra realist pessimist way of thinking.☺
@Hitchens
In my opinion, it's not an optimistic or pessimistic thought experiment. We are simply parasites. No special standing or privilege because we can talk.
The amount of natural resources required to keep us alive to do what we are doing right now isn't worth the damages to the planet we are causing.
@Hitchens
Control the population sends up red flags but what if we offered vasectomies and sperm freezing to teen boys? To end all those accidental pregnancies and had to go through some process while sober to get pregnant? It ruins lives to produce unwanted kids because beer and a Saturday night coincided.
Unwanted pregnancies cause misery to all parties..but as for freezing sperm and handing out free mass vasectomies..is just not gonna cut it..no pun intended.
Old fashioned common sense should limit the damage..but yes it's not as common as it should be..so many abortions..its a shame.
First, there is no such thing as race. Second, I have great expectations for our species if we can survive ourselves another century and establish a functional colony on Mars. Failing either ensures our species will indeed go extinct. Of course, humans as we know them now will surely disappear along the way as evolution continues.
evidentialist
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
Sorry Evident..the vocabulary constabulary already beat you to that one ..in the form of the aptly named Wordywalt..you may be a Polymath..but he was quicker on the draw ?.
Either way I stand corrected...its species, my apologies to you..and the Human species, which I hope are in no way diminished by my faux pas.
I do seem to remember Hawking commenting that the next surviving the next couple of centuries would be crucial ..and also leaving the planet at some point ..to establish stepping stone colonies to escape a dying world.
So all things being equal and we haven't succumbed to War..natural catastrophes..virul/bacterial holocaust..asteroid collision ..and avoiding reliance on Artificial Intelligence (They could destroy us too)..I sense there is at least some reason to be partially optimistic..
Thanks Evidentialist.
@Hitchens -- Agreed. We need to get our eggs out of this one basket. It isn't a matter of if we get hit by a killer because that is guaranteed. The problem is timing. Although we have several programs to find and catalog any rocks or lumps of nickel-iron with our name on them, we are frequently blindsided.
I am optimistic about our odds, but we are working against a clock that is unseen and can't be changed to suit our needs.
IKN..It might be that we could harness the energy of one of these deadly leviathans to catapult us out of our solar system..perhaps hitching a ride through the galaxy..at least some of the way to goldilocks land?
Maybe as is sometimes suggested those rocks hurtling through space may have carried the stuff of life..to us in the first place water etc may well either kill us..or provide a way out..who knows?
But yes it's as you say a race against time..and fortune..maybe our friend in the Oval office might do better investing money in think tanks..and useful research..instead of a "Space Force".
As a race we have come so far, and things keep getting better. In time - probably 200 - 300 years from now the earth will be running smoothly, we will have world peace, we will conquer all diseases, it will be paradise.
gater
Level 7
Aug 10, 2018
2
Yes I think the crucial thing is to get through the next couple of hundred years..Hawking said that too.
It's refreshing that you are calmly optimistic. Does seem so far away..I shall have to remember to keep flossing.. wouldn't want to loose any teeth before paradise arrives..
Thank you.
No, I have thought about it, we are past the point of no return. My daughter thinks so (on her own) and is choosing not to have children. I am very hopeful most of the tie about most things, but not the future of quality of life. It took so long just to get people to recycle in the U.S.A. I do not think most people are willing to look honestly and change or tolerate the inconveience at this point, something big has to happen or life at we know it will be forever changed. But I feel fine, I tired and am still trying.
alanalorie
Level 7
Aug 10, 2018
1
Hi there,
Pessimism seems to have taken it's toll on you. There is a profound sadress in your words..though you say you are fine..
I am a little saddened that your daughter has decided of her own accord to avoid having children...I hope she may sometime in the future..perhaps reconsider..or at least revisit this decision.
I only say this because I was of a similar mind when I was thinking about it for the first time..but I was won over and in some ways reluctantly went along with it.. despite my previous mindset and my current concerns of the direction our world is being steered..I can assure you I made the right decision..having two beautiful and clever girls to spoil...these little munchkins tell me they are gonna change the world..and who knows..who am I to tell them otherwise..? Thank you for your heartfelt response Alanalorie.?
No. I am not sure where it might be heading . We appear like we want to disappear from the earth.This is based upon our design of weapons and chemicals that can wipe out civilization.
Marine
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
Yes Marine..its all a bit grim isn't it?
Still we have to look beyond our present political quagmire and turmoil..and hope with some optimism that the next generation turn the tide on this brutally devisive and sick world.
No I think we are in for a pretty bad time we are already here in the U.K it seems unbelievable that our leaders really are this silly. Theresa May couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery I think they would rather blow us all up than admit they failed to act to make anything better for us - and I hope Trump gets trumped before he does any more harm
jacpod
Level 8
Aug 10, 2018
1
Hi..its a big concern for us too...won't you stay a little longer? Trump is egging May on..yet won't offer here concrete support..America first...
I think May is in real trouble..and the U.K may be in for a shock..if this Brexit bad boy.. goes off the cliff..we are all in for a major winter of discontent..☹?
Humans are remarkably resilient. I think we'll come out of this latest period of darkness a different people, but still us. It may be a little too optimistic to say that maybe we'll learn our lesson this time, but it's a non-zero possibility.
memorylikeasieve
Level 7
Aug 10, 2018
5
Yes I think this was a very nasty blip...one that will pass.
Although a lot of damage has been done to America's credibility and standing abroad...there will be a lot of work to do to undo the damage..Trump's warped Administration's reckless endeavour to make a great country great..has only diminished it. It was and is causing voter apathy and malaise..the very thing that ironically got him in..in the first place.IMO.
@Hitchens I am not a DJT supporter. I believe, however, that had Trump been the Democratic Party candidate and won the presidency, his populist approach to governance would have resulted in a much more humanitarian outcome. As a Democratic president, he would have been much better than as a Republican or as H.Clinton.
Even if he did run as a Democrat..and had won..he may have pandered to his core democratic vote..yes..probably..for a while..so maybe some issues dear to democrats might have been addressed..
But..the problem I have with that hypothesis is that he has such ingrained bias and prejudice wired in to his physche..that he would (in my honest opinion) have slowly reverted back to his own sick agenda of nonsense..but who knows right?
You are probably right..he might well have too..but it's his personal character that is the issue..his now legendary economy with basic truth..and his inability to take advice..his lack of empathy..and diplomacy..would lead me to the conclusion that this experiment would have failed anyway. IMO.
No. Optimists like Steven Pinker believe that the human condition is improving, but his viewpoint is extremely anthropcentric. He does not acknowledging the devastation humans are causing to Earth's biosphere, the only environment in which humans will ever be able to thrive.
[ted.com]
PBuck0145
Level 7
Aug 10, 2018
2
Thanks just watched it..
It's what he left out that is worrying..sure he crunched the comparative numbers..but admitted fleetingly that climate change is a gargantuan problem..that can be solved by applying solutions...what fucking solutions..the Paris Accord is in the toilet..thanks to 45. What about the rise of religious funementalism and national socialism?
As for destroying the rain forests..and wiping out wildlife that are regularly becoming extinct..plastics pollution..not even addressed etc etc
His numbers hide a number of elephants in the room.
Excellent cheers.
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