Optimist or Pessimist?

[Mikobass]

Where do you see humanity 20 000 years from now?

A- Extinct :
1- Mankind will have either self annihilated in wars or environnemental holocaust.
2- A natural disaster from within the earth (volcanic eruption, uncurable disease).
3- From the sky (Asteroid impact or being invaded by Aliens).

B- Statu Quo :
Humanity will still be around,
1- Not better or worse socially with a big % of global population living in great poverty and hunger while a minority lives in abondance probably with far more advanced technologically.
2- Will simply go through ups ans downs throughout the ages going from great societies to surviving one of the apocalypse scenario from A or just declines of civilisation (Like Egypt, Greece and Rome did in the past)

C- Highly advance society
1- Wisdom will impose itself in time, uniting humanity once and for all ending needs for conflict. All men will be equal on Earth, wealth will be redistribuated equally in order to end poverty and hunger. All children will have equal access to Education.
2- We will be contacted by advanced Aliens who will greatly improve our society both technologically and socially.
3- A God will bless humanity in his infinite love, creating a paradise on Earth. (Depending on your Faith I guess)

Optimist or Pessimist, what am I supose to be? - Nevermore

 

[proglodite]

C4 - THE god will bless those that have chosen him, and will fuck the Earth off for good

 

[derek]

I can see a whole bunch of outcomes. The one that resonates with me the most is the eradication of huge chunks of the population from disease and war (among other things) which leaves us with a small population that might learn from the mistakes of the old. (For the star-trek buffs...the context behind first contact )

 

[Mikobass]

So Derek, you are kind of optimist. You seems to say mankind will still be around in 20 000 years. Of course, there are countless of possible outcomes, I just pointed a few that seemed to me to be the "most popular" to give examples.

My views goes between B2 and C1. But I think I play the optimist again and say wisdom will impose itself to man whether he likes it or not...

 

[derek]

Well, I am neither, both, one or other...thorougly depends on my mood.

Dane is a wonderful lyricist though, so I'll echo his lament that I'm not sure what the hell I am.

 

[Horus]

Hmm... I'd have to say B-2. Here's how I see Mankind's fate for the next few centuries:

In 400 years, Mankind will wage the War to End All Wars. And this will leave the planet almost completely destroyed, and humankind almost completely extinct, except for a few. Out of the ashes of the final War of the 2nd age of Mankind, (yes, this is the 2nd age. The first age was Atlantis.) man will realize thesins of their actions of the modern age, and work to bild a new Paradise.

Don't ask me wtf, because I don't know ow to explain it any further without going into my beliefs of the past.

 

[Pessimism]

Optimist or Pessimist, what am I supose to be? - Nevermore

Be what you are.

 

[speed]

Im a pessimist. I dont think anyone I know is more pessimistic than I. I pick B 1 and 2.

 

[Norsemaiden]

Trying to be optimistic: 20,000 years from now, everyone will be superhuman (beyond anything you can imagine) and they'll be collonising other planets.

If that isn't the scenario, then humans will have gone extinct during the 21st century, destroying the ecology of the planet. The reason is that the problems facing Earth are so great that only a super intelligent bunch of elite people could have the capacity to solve the problems. Nearly everyone else is destroying the planet.

The superhumans of the future will be the product of eugenics (selective breeding of superintelligent, healthy, honourable, brave, willfull, fierce, handsome, tall, athletic people - far more so than anyone alive today). They will know the importance of being physically healthy, that their body is as much themselves as their brain is, and so would not end up as some sort of disembodied brain, or in an artificial body, or such idea.

 

[NeverIsForever]

I'm definitely thinking A1. A2 has merit as well but I don't think a disease would kill everyone. (As far as I know) with every disease there has always been some small fraction of the population with natural resistance to it.

 

[Mikobass]

I'd like to hear more on your "belief from the past" Ptah Khnemu, you should create a new tread on Atlantis!! lol

I like Norsemaiden point of view on superhumans, but I feel today's moronic elite (half the world is still under the control of tyranic Dictators and the other half is electing self centered politician in power trips ) has too much to lose to let that happen. If it does happen, it will have to be a decision made by the population and some big change in the way people think, in the general mentality. It's been known to have happen in the past though...

I feel humanity is still it's early teens, it has not matured yet. I feel with time wisdom will prevail and that humanity will unify under one flag in a unique nation, one money, one language, one timezone and no religion. It's such a small planet in such a huge universe...

 

[derek]

I'm still convinced that we are insignificant. I like the Gaia theory, and we're just a small chapter in that saga.

 

[Horus]

I'd like to hear more on your "belief from the past" Ptah Khnemu, you should create a new tread on Atlantis!! lol

I'll PM you about it, but I may start a new thread about Atlantis.

 

[Progthing]

20,000 years is a long time. I think it is likely that something catastrophic will happen which will change the face of the planet and lead to significant depopulation. I understand we are 500,000 years overdue for one catastrophic event, at least – a shift of the Earth’s crust of the type that shifted Antarctica from a temperate zone to the South Pole.

At some point we’ll use up all the fossil fuels, and I’m sure that this will be a good thing – as long as it’s not too late. We’ll have to use alternate methods of energy – solar, wind & water power. Diesel engines can run on treated used vegetable oil – a cheap, clean and renewable resource.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that mankind will decimate itself through conventional/nuclear/germ warfare. I’d like to think that at some point in the future mankind will have learned some wisdom. Technologically mankind is very clever, but cleverness does not equal wisdom. Cleverness is, for example, having the ability to create nuclear weapons. Wisdom is deciding not to create them. Let’s hope we haven’t been too clever for our own good.

Whatever happens, I’m sure that mankind will survive in some shape or form.

 

[judas69]

We'll kill ourselves off, I have no doubt about it.

 

[Ravenous Enemy]

urgh... why is it otimistic to think that humanity will still be around in 20000 years? I don't see the justification. So: optimistically i think that we'll definitely have wiped ourselves, or have been wiped out, by then.

 

[Mikobass]

Well, I guess it depends on your point of view. If you are an animal whos ecosystem is being destroyed by mankind, then maybe it's a bad thing to have human as neighbors and hope they "wiped themselves". But since we are human ourselve, it's normal to consider that our kind still being around in 20K years is a "good" thing.

Ask yourself : Is it a good/bad thing if Johnny Someguy is still alive and well next week? Now change Johnny Someguy with your own name. If you answer something else then "good thing", please go see a specialist or talk to a friend before next week... In your own sake, lol!!

What I'm trying to say is that wanting self preservation is usually seen as the optimistic view.

 

[The Devil's Steed]

A1 or B1 or B2.

 

[Tongue_Ring]

does it really matter?
everyone on this board will be dead anyway