Humankind's future in the next qtr/half-century?

[walls]

I don't think it is hyperbole to say that humans have never before lived in times like these. In the last 30 years alone our population has swelled by 2.5 billion. Technological advancements have occurred at a similarly stunning rate.

One gets the feeling that, if the recent past is any guide, the world 20 years from now will scarcely be recognizable from today's.

Do you think we are approaching a technological singularity? Or will perhaps some major catastrophe (eg, global warming, pandemic, nuclear war, supervolcano) get in the way and throw us back into a prehistoric way of life or even destroy our species?

[MrNice]

I think the world will be taken over by religious fundamentalism and we will have another dark ages

[walls]

lsdima said:

I think the world will be taken over by religious fundamentalism and we will have another dark ages

Islamic or Christian? (Or does it matter?)

[zaab]

I'd be foolish to try to predict the future, but I think we're at a very critical point. We're mired in war, debt and in an unsustainable economic system that's ravaging our environment and our souls. Noone can predict with any certainty what the consequences of global warming will do (other than what it has already done, which is bad enough) or how fast, and what the economic and social costs of that will be. We probably should have weaned ourselves off of the oil based economy decades ago, and the serious decline of oil resources, perhaps imminent, may also contribute to economic ruin or major war or maybe both. I hope I'm wrong, but it seems like preventing some sort of catastrophe will be like trying to stop a speeding locomotive on a dime. Maybe if we're lucky we'll grow old and die before things get really bad, or perhaps we'll pull a solution out of our ass. Hope springs eternal.

Supervolcanoes, asteroids, fire, brimstone, locusts...one of these may occur, probably won't, and in the rare event that there is a civilization ending event, all you can say is "que sera, sera."

[shyaussiegal]

We're all doomed.. it's human nature to destroy ourselves ;D

[Tal]

Well natural disasters could happen anytime, so I wouldn't try and predict those.

However I think Humankind's future is relatively bright. IMO, its likely we'll see a slight economic decline towards the middle of the century (perhaps much sooner) as natural resources run out, costs rocket, temperatures rise, religious fundamentalism (Islam and Christianity) reaches a peak (though this might not happen if the moderates get their act together) etc, and then after that, when we've adapted, things will pick up again.

Technology and science will come to the rescue and politicians will hopefully come to heed its warnings in a more timely fashion than they have done or currently do.

I'm not sure this future will apply outside the West though. Seems like warfare, poverty and corruption are going to continue in Africa and the Middle East for some time to come. Politically, South America could be in for a good half century if the semi-socialist governments stay true to their cause.

Obviously China will have its century too, with parts of Asia probably becoming wealthier and more influential than Europe, Russia or the US. Personally I think this will make the region far more stable and peaceful in the long-term, so major world wars look unlikely, so long as the Middle East doesn't spiral into something unpredictably big.

[pnoopiepnats]

Won't matter as we'll be dead eventually. The End!

now to think about more important things like eating my goatmeal without dropping it on me.

[reddragon]

I look at it like this:

1.) I will not be around in the next half century so I will not be effected.

2.) I have no children so no one I know will be around either.

3.) There is absolutely nothing I can do about the future so why worry. Why not concentrate on what I can effect like the Present.

[walls]

Pnats and dragon I agree with both of you, and it is not something I'm worrying about, because after all the fate of this species is probably irrelevant considering how many trillions of planets there are out there, and there's nothing we can do about what will happen, but,
it is hella interesting to speculate and think about.

Tal I hope your optimistic view holds true, but I'm afraid I don't share it. I think the US will be f'ed beyond belief if it cannot come up with viable alternative energy sources NOW. And such a dramatically weakened US would have enormous ramifications for everyone on earth.

Furthermore, the places that global warming may very well wipe out include the some of the major cities along China's and India's coasts, causing massive problems for those two countries.

Unfortunately (IMO) politics will crumble under such conditions as religion returns to the forefront in a big way and Islam and Chrisitanity clash.

[skyhint]

Aliens.

[HybridMoment]

I do believe there will be some sort of technological singularity.
And even though I'm usually very pessimistic, I don't think it will be a bad thing. Some people see it as AI taking over the world, but that theory just seems silly to me. More likely it will extend the length and quality of human life; and there will be a paradigm shift to accompany it.

Some scientists predict that we will really hit the curve in 2048-2050, but I really don't know enough about that or the science behind it to form an opinion on when it will happen. I hope I am still alive to experience it.

[zaab]

What is happening in the United States now is making me very pessimistic. Oil prices have doubled in the last few years, we've seen the most destructive hurricane in recent history, and our weather as a whole has just been bizarre. What is the consequence of all this? We still have record oil consumption in the United States. Nothing is convincing us to slow down resource consumption. I used to think that once we saw bad things happening we'd change our lifestyle, now I'm not so sure. We're like a nation of addicts in denial and willing to supply our addiction at any cost.

[MrNice]

I used to think that once we saw bad things happening

we don't see bad things happening at all
so the gas prices have doubled, big deal
when you read about war or global warming, thats very differet then for example being shot at, or not having fresh water around

[zaab]

lsdima said:

I used to think that once we saw bad things happening

we don't see bad things happening at all
so the gas prices have doubled, big deal
when you read about war or global warming, thats very differet then for example being shot at, or not having fresh water around

But most Americans are lucky enough not to have had those experiences. For someone living in a relatively stable country like this one, gasoline prices are a big deal when you drive around as much as most of us do. But I guess the bottom line is that we're so mired in car culture most of us can't even imagine an alternative. Two thousand dollars a year is a big deal to me, though.

[zaab]

sweetpea said:

lsdima said:

we don't see bad things happening at all
so the gas prices have doubled, big deal
when you read about war or global warming, thats very differet then for example being shot at, or not having fresh water around

you're living in NYC and you're talking about having fresh water?

Believe it or not, NYC reportedly has some very good tap water. *Sigh* I'll probably never move back, but I love that crazy city.