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In your opinion what is the most likely thing that could halt human progress?

Technology? Environment? Arrogance? Or?

atheist 8 Apr 21
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36 comments (26 - 36)

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1

Pervasive ignorance.
It's already happening.

@atheist It's been hijacked by religutards, greedy politicians, and stupid-ass administrators.

1

Nuclear war.

2

Religion. It's already happened.

The question here is not "Are science and Religion in conflict (at war, etc)?" My answer is related to the question about what is most likely to halt human progress. The debate over religio-scientific conflict are separate issues reserved for a theoretical and rhetorical dialectic between religious apologists and philosophers. Human progress is the issue here. Humans have made progress, are continuing to make progress, but could be much further along with religion.

Based on history as it is understood in most contemporary societies, we can say unequivocally that human progress was delayed for at least 1000 years due to religion. During the era of "The Dark Ages", religion brought out the worst in human nature - tribalism, authoritarianism, demonetization and zero-sum thinking - and repressed the better attributes of human nature - logic and reasoning, preferring ignorance and superstition over understanding and know-how. Imagine where humanity would now be if not for the Dark Ages!

Religion didn't stop there, but the Enlightenment helped to thwart their efforts at ignorance. As humans have progressed, religion continues to festers in the back-ground, always fighting for legitimacy. To the extent there is a war/conflict, it is not about religion and science - it is about religion and human progress.

Based on current U.S. politics, one can certainly argue that religion is winning, To be sure, evangelicals have been slowly elbowing their way into U.S. politics for the last 40 years, and they are finally in charge. With that leadership, we see the expected trend toward tribalism, authoritarianism, demonetization and zero-sum thinking, just like the Dark Ages. Unlike the dark ages, the dangers are much greater, for they can now realize their desires of the second coming, which requires Armageddon. What better way than the nuclear option.

They have won a battle, but as long as rational humans are able to intercede and prevent them from delivering their ultimate goal, human progress, using the tools of reasoning that nature provided, will ultimately prevail. History tells us so.

2

Greed, I think it's already seriously limiting it for many unfortunately.

@atheist I mean everyone, not the extremely successful money hoarding few 😉

@atheist yes well if everyone was like me things would certainly look different. The amount of crap people buy that they don't need astounds me...and then they buy it for me as gifts! A nightmare of the modern age.

2

Self aware AI will spell the end of humankind. To a continually evolving AI, humans will be exposed as the illogical, unnecessary, problematic and destructive breeders they are. I give us 50 years at best until the short-lived evolutionary experiment of opposable thumbs coupled with an underdeveloped cerebral cortex and overactive amygdala comes to a grinding halt. The machine gods will take over and the next evolutionary step will likely survive, while the Earth returns to a pristine state of an absence of Monkeys in Pants.

6

Humans

2

Environment - increase in natual disasters, melting of the ice cap-oceans rising. Coastlines threatened.

1

"Halt" Human progress? That is a mighty big statement. I think it would take a great deal, but obstacles impeding/slowing progress, IMHO include:

Government
Religion
The current infusion of religion into the US administration
Global thermonuclear war
Nationalism

I don't subscribe to technological doomsday scenarios we see played out in film (Terminator, etc).

2

Progress toward what?

@atheist hmmm lots of attempts so far have had the opposite effect

1

Global warming.

3

Humans

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