(October 10, 2019 at 12:56 am)Macoleco Wrote: I have always thought that humanity is destined to go extinct because no matter how much our technology advances, an unforeseen catastrophe will wipe us all. But I have started to think if there is any chance we may survive for not thousand, but millions of years?

What if we create colonies throughout the universe to secure our existence? What if we encounter other intelligent life that help us create an environment of cooperation? Perhaps even an intergalactic hub with multiple intelligence species!!!!!

What do you think? Are we doomed? Or is there hope?

Yes and no.

Ultimately if we don't take ourselves out, our planet will or a meteor or commit will, and the sun ultimately dies in any case, and there will be a few more mass extinction events before the sun dies in any case.

Short term humans are our own worst enemy. We have nukes and we are causing global warming.

Can we delay our finite ride? That depends on humans putting problem solving and diplomacy above tribalism.

I wouldn't throw tribalism into the trash just yet, if humanity's continued survival is the context. Tribalism is a more effective organizing force than humanitarian concern. Human xenophobia, likewise, useful if we're going to spread beyond our little pond.

While others see our behavioral patterns changing if/when we head out there, I see history becoming even more precient. The exportation of violence and irreparable enviromental exploitation of the earliest human civilizations probably has alot to tell us about what we'll look like as a multi planet species.

We'll move the hearth fire west every day, cutting down the jungle for fuel as we go. Eating anything that moves and killing whatever isn't edible. If the "tribe" engaged in that work sees itself as separate from the greater human society it's efforts serve, so what..they're on the fringes, where we've always sent our headhunters and cannibals and slavers and rapists and pillagers. That tribalism will be well employed by those people, just as it always has been here.

I think xenophobia will be endemic as long as there are humans.

(October 30, 2019 at 10:08 am)Gae Bolga Wrote: I wouldn't throw tribalism into the trash just yet, if humanity's continued survival is the context.  Tribalism is a more effective organizing force than humanitarian concern.  Human xenophobia, likewise, useful if we're going to spread beyond our little pond.  

While others see our behavioral patterns changing if/when we head out there, I see history becoming even more precient.  The exportation of violence and irreparable enviromental exploitation of the earliest human civilizations probably has alot to tell us about what we'll look like as a multi planet species.

We'll move the hearth fire west every day, cutting down the jungle for fuel as we go.  Eating anything that moves and killing whatever isn't edible.  If the "tribe" engaged in that work sees itself as separate from the greater human society it's efforts serve, so what..they're on the fringes, where we've always sent our headhunters and cannibals and slavers and rapists and pillagers.  That tribalism will be well employed by those people, just as it always has been here.

Tribalism might be a more effective organizing force, But it also guarantees the organization’s efforts would be ineffectively dissipated in fratricidal struggles against the organization of the other tribes.

Tribalism might seem a powerful and expedient tool, but in the end it would signify little.   Most of its reward is but brief schadenfreude for a few before they too are consumed.

(October 10, 2019 at 12:56 am)Macoleco Wrote: I have always thought that humanity is destined to go extinct because no matter how much our technology advances, an unforeseen catastrophe will wipe us all. But I have started to think if there is any chance we may survive for not thousand, but millions of years?

What if we create colonies throughout the universe to secure our existence? What if we encounter other intelligent life that help us create an environment of cooperation? Perhaps even an intergalactic hub with multiple intelligence species!!!!!

What do you think? Are we doomed? Or is there hope?

I don't know what the odds are but if the dolphins fly off to the Mothership we're fucked.

We're going extinct someday whether people like it or not

Everything dies. Humans are not special.

short time; Nil
long time; Nil

I dunno, humans are pretty resilient. We have lasted a long time already, so I'm cautiously optimistic.

My expiration date was two years ago.