Human extinction

[Octopuff in kumquat]

Humans will not exist at all in a thousand years, but that doesn't mean we're all gonna be dead; one likely outcome is converting all matter we encounter into small computers and uploading our minds into them. Even if everyone died right now, there'd still be an infinite number of parallel Earths where everyone's fine, so it's pointless to worry about. The only problem we have now is making it to the technological singularity without setting ourselves backwards hundreds of thousands of years by starting WW3 or not being able to stop a pandemic.

Even if parallel dimensions did exist, they would still be wholly irrelevant to US here, and thus the point of this question. The fact this is how you answered the questions blows my mind.

Anyway, for me, I prefer the optimistic approach. I feel there's always a way to overcome barriers and prevent true catastrophes. However, bar none, the first thing that needs to happen is for humanity to learn some modesty and mature a little. Adapting new and better technologies, limiting our population growth, and most of all, quit fucking bickering over the most inane shit with one another and work together.

 

[John Titor]

IMO, the human race has been through a lot of shit that nearly wiped us out (see Toba event). I think we'll persist somehow.

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

I can't find it right now but someone on my fb friends list posted some sanctimonious article about "is it worth it to even have children now that Trump is in office and the Earth's biosphere will be destroyed?"

I commented that it wasn't any more "worth it" to have children 50 years ago when the reds were a c-hair from dropping nukes on our heads either, and that anyone who thinks life is too tough is free to give up whenever they want. Then I didn't bother checking back because on facebook I never receive responses to any of my radical ideas.

 

[Cripple]

I can't find it right now but someone on my fb friends list posted some sanctimonious article about "is it worth it to even have children now that Trump is in office and the Earth's biosphere will be destroyed?"

I commented that it wasn't any more "worth it" to have children 50 years ago when the reds were a c-hair from dropping nukes on our heads either, and that anyone who thinks life is too tough is free to give up whenever they want. Then I didn't bother checking back because on facebook I never receive responses to any of my radical ideas.

Are people aware at most a president can be in office us eight years? And our grandparents were born during the Great Depression. Talk about a time to not have kids! People were selling/abandoning kids in droves at the time! (My grandfather included.)

And um, yeah, the topic at hand. I guess I do think humans will eventually become extinct, but not anytime soon. Not until the population is cut down at least and that won't be for like a hundred years after we achieve economic equity for all nations. And that won't be any time soon.

 

[Gym Leader Elesa]

Not until the population is cut down at least and that won't be for like a hundred years after we achieve economic equity for all nations. And that won't be any time soon.

In fact, it's impossible.

Anyway, I think we have another few thousand years.

 

[teh forist speret]

Even if parallel dimensions did exist, they would still be wholly irrelevant to US here, and thus the point of this question. The fact this is how you answered the questions blows my mind.

Anyway, for me, I prefer the optimistic approach. I feel there's always a way to overcome barriers and prevent true catastrophes. However, bar none, the first thing that needs to happen is for humanity to learn some modesty and mature a little. Adapting new and better technologies, limiting our population growth, and most of all, quit fucking bickering over the most inane shit with one another and work together.

How about you stop being an autistic fuck?

 

[cuddle striker]

can we just nuke Mars already? I don't care if it means humans spread like a plague throughout the galaxy.

 

[Male Idiot]

can we just nuke Mars already? I don't care if it means humans spread like a plague throughout the galaxy.

Not a good idea!

 

[bbpoison]

I have heard many people here saying that humans are going to go extinct in the next few centuries. I see no reason why to think that this will occur and I think that such fatalism is unproductive and may very well create a self fulfilling prophecy if a large portion of the population starts to believe it. Some people will question whether humanity deserves to live or not and my response is that they should think about how cruel it is to starve a small child, multiply that by over a billion and you get human extinction, as well as questioning whether there even needs to be a justification for human survival in the first place as justification is a human concept that may not apply to the existence of humanity itself

I do not believe humanity will go extinct. I believe we are close to reaching the next stage of consciousness via technology (ex. the internet) I do not believe fatalism is unproductive. I like fatalism from the perspective of the individual. Since the individual is both at the same time a facet and the whole thing (everything/existence) Fatalism can be a healthy way in exploring the shadow of nothingness and even if it's not "healthy" the individual can be said to not be under control. While I like the idea of raising awareness I can also accept the idea of the whole civilization disappearing. And even if all consciousness of all forms of existence and non-existence were to cease in any observable or non-observable functions it would be okay because apparently "this"seems to always function and even if we left time and space What I'm saying is, everything is functioning "perfectly" no matter what thought or action you decide to take. Because it's all you and therefore any actions that are possible and impossible are already you.

 

[TwinkleSnort]

 

[Tragi-Chan]

Humans are an incredibly adaptable species, and that's why we're in charge. Short of something straight-up blowing the Earth to pieces in one shot, there's no disaster that could wipe us out completely.

What I could see happening is some sort of crisis that greatly reduces our numbers. An antibiotic-resistant pandemic would be a possibility, although with modern medicine and communications I suspect any plague would either be contained before it could do any real damage or would have to spread so fast that it would burn itself out.

My money would be on some sort of overpopulation crisis. Populations expand beyond our ability to feed and look after them. This could lead to a lot of deaths in itself, through drought, starvation and disease. Or it could lead to a third world war.

 

[Inquisitor_BadAss]

The only way humans are leaving this planet is if we pack our bags, jump on a rocket and fly to some other system. It would kinda interesting to see what would happen to the planet if we did that.

 

[TwinkleSnort]

The only way humans are leaving this planet is if we pack our bags, jump on a rocket and fly to some other system. It would kinda interesting to see what would happen to the planet if we did that.

I think some people tried that once. Don't know if it worked out for them, since none of them came back to comment one way or the other.

 

[Vex Overmind]

Maybe we'll see something like the transhumanist postulate. Humanity will divulge into a clusterfuck of different sub-species and baseline normal Humans like us cease to exist.


That's one hell of a way to put it.

 

[Manah]

Really, a mass extinction of humanity is probably the best thing for the human race, like a forest fire.

 

[BadaBadaBoom]

Unless the planet becomes completely uninhabitable for a number of species, I doubt there would be any specific human based extinction. We are at the top of the food chain and have a huge number of resources to counter any global epidemic or disaster that could happen. There's bound to be survivors in any major catastrophe and those people will be the one's who will repopulate the Earth.

What will be interesting to see is exactly to what length human beings will go to be able to survive if an actual disastrous epidemic happens. How much will science and biology be allowed to intervene if people start becoming drastic? Will we see an actual war of ideals between humans not on a racial/national level, but on a more personal, spiritual level? We're going to reach a point where medical science is going to intrude on extremely hard held beliefs people have about life and death as a necessity for survival. I think as we go on some of the final conflicts between humans will ultimately be between those who want to survive at all costs and those who stalwartly hang onto human rights and decency above even their own lives.

I guess what I'm getting at is North Korea is gonna make bio weapons of its citizens at some point and you better be on the right side of history when one of Kim Jong's undying golems comes knocking on your door.

 

[Mysterious Capitalist]

I like to think it will go down somewhat similarly to Asimov's "The Last Question", which is also probably my favorite story of his.

The only thing that may be different is that we'll probably discover ways to upload our brains in computers way before we discover how to travel in space efficiently (it'd make sense at that point to travel inefficiently, but with immortal computer consciences, so it'll be fine)

Who knows? Maybe at some point in or computer brain lives we'll even learn to harness another's species equivalent of little girls' emotional trauma to invert entropy!