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Author Topic:   Scenarios For the Near Future Climax of Human History
Hangdawg13
Member (Idle past 751 days)
Posts: 1189
From: Texas
Joined: 05-30-2004


Message 16 of 36 (265484)
12-04-2005 2:54 PM
Reply to: Message 11 by Nighttrain
12-02-2005 1:11 AM


Re: Dusk approaches
Both very plausible scenarios... though is it really possible for a bacteria or virus to have a death rate of 100%? yeah... I spose it really is possible...

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Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 17 of 36 (265510)
12-04-2005 5:27 PM
Reply to: Message 15 by Hangdawg13
12-04-2005 2:50 PM


History of Humanity: Ascending or Descending?
Hangdawg13 writes:
With technological evolution, competition for food and habitat is no longer the force that drives the change, rather it is our own desires for money, power, self-improvement, eternal life, to transcend the universe, .....to become gods...
I would argue that competition for food and habitat still drives the change in regards to the third world.
The difference is that now, any third world student can learn computer literacy and step into the first world marketplace. They may then get corrupted by those desires for money, self improvment..etc..and sell their own country out to global interests. Or...if not their country, themselves.
See...the thing is, nationalism is no longer a driving force in globalistic conflicts. Individualism versus collectivism....there is where the conflict arises. The one world government scenario is, IMHO, tied directly into commerce and the marketplace. The next war, already in its "Manchurian" stages(WWII reference) is a war of ideas, ideologies, and Spirit versus spirits.
This message has been edited by Phat, 12-04-2005 03:28 PM

Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.
Pensées (1670)
We arrive at truth, not by reason only, but also by the heart.
Pensées (1670)
Heb 4:12-13-- For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Holy Spirit--speaking through the Apostle Paul

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coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 477 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 18 of 36 (265637)
12-05-2005 1:26 AM


Ok people, I'm going to only say this once, so listen up.
I wasn't talking about biological evolution. I was referring more to technological and social evolution. Dudes, would I say something as absurd as what you guys apparently thought I said?

  
coffee_addict
Member (Idle past 477 days)
Posts: 3645
From: Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 03-29-2004


Message 19 of 36 (265647)
12-05-2005 2:20 AM
Reply to: Message 15 by Hangdawg13
12-04-2005 2:50 PM


Hangdawg writes:
With technological evolution, competition for food and habitat is no longer the force that drives the change, rather it is our own desires for money, power, self-improvement, eternal life, to transcend the universe, .....to become gods...
The thing is I don't think in most cases war was about food and habitat. The moment we came out of the stone age and crossed the bronca divide, it no longer was a necessity for us to compete with one another for food and habitat. Farming allowed incredibly huge number of people to persistantly live and develop in a relatively small area.
So no, I really think war was mostly about power and riches. We could point out isolated cases where a group of people had to attack another group of people for survival, but those were nothing more than isolated cases.

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Hangdawg13
Member (Idle past 751 days)
Posts: 1189
From: Texas
Joined: 05-30-2004


Message 20 of 36 (265890)
12-05-2005 9:22 PM
Reply to: Message 19 by coffee_addict
12-05-2005 2:20 AM


Okay, so we agree then.

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Phat
Member
Posts: 18262
From: Denver,Colorado USA
Joined: 12-30-2003
Member Rating: 1.1


Message 21 of 36 (290255)
02-25-2006 2:39 AM
Reply to: Message 20 by Hangdawg13
12-05-2005 9:22 PM


Any New scenarios?
Looking at the future is a futile exercise.
The Past Is History.
The Future is a Mystery.
The Present is a Gift.
The Gift is the Gift of relationship with Jesus Christ.
If Jesus is past, (was) present, (He lives!) and future (and Is to come, the almighty!) Then it matters what we do on a moment by moment basis and our best bet is to maintain the daily relationship with the One whom encompasses eternity.
(Meet me in chat)

This message is a reply to:
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ReverendDG
Member (Idle past 4110 days)
Posts: 1119
From: Topeka,kansas
Joined: 06-06-2005


Message 22 of 36 (290258)
02-25-2006 4:13 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Hangdawg13
11-30-2005 2:48 PM


I'd go with number 5 at this rate, but not the way you presented it, i'm thinking it will be like 1984, where the goverment through law and control, renders the people incapible of finding information they need to think for themselves, if you have read 1984, they pretty much bring in this perpetual war that people "fight" while in reality its a standstill to keep people working and sedated
but i think through goverment control or corporation control in the next 50 years we will lose more and more freedoms that will turn us into slaves for the rich and powerful

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lfen
Member (Idle past 4678 days)
Posts: 2189
From: Oregon
Joined: 06-24-2004


Message 23 of 36 (290260)
02-25-2006 4:37 AM
Reply to: Message 16 by Hangdawg13
12-04-2005 2:54 PM


Re: Dusk approaches
though is it really possible for a bacteria or virus to have a death rate of 100%? yeah... I spose it really is possible...
Hey Dawg!
I would guess that it is possible but extremely unlikely. Even though the world is effectively smaller there are so many people and so spread out that I would guess there would be some resistant pockets or people who evade it. Diseases also tend to mutate to be less lethal.
Which is more likely extinction through a massive plague or extinction as a result of an asteriod collision? In a spirit of chance I pick the asteroid.
lfen

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lfen
Member (Idle past 4678 days)
Posts: 2189
From: Oregon
Joined: 06-24-2004


Message 24 of 36 (290261)
02-25-2006 4:42 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Hangdawg13
11-30-2005 2:48 PM


Dawg,
I vote Dickens, Charles
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all doing direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
English novelist (1812 - 1870)
lfen

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 Message 1 by Hangdawg13, posted 11-30-2005 2:48 PM Hangdawg13 has replied

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Hangdawg13
Member (Idle past 751 days)
Posts: 1189
From: Texas
Joined: 05-30-2004


Message 25 of 36 (290389)
02-25-2006 2:18 PM
Reply to: Message 21 by Phat
02-25-2006 2:39 AM


Re: Any New scenarios?
Looking at the future is a futile exercise.
Looking into the past is looking into the future.
"What has been shall be again; there is no new thing under the sun."

This message is a reply to:
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Hangdawg13
Member (Idle past 751 days)
Posts: 1189
From: Texas
Joined: 05-30-2004


Message 26 of 36 (290391)
02-25-2006 2:21 PM
Reply to: Message 24 by lfen
02-25-2006 4:42 AM


I like this one.

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Quetzal
Member (Idle past 5872 days)
Posts: 3228
Joined: 01-09-2002


Message 27 of 36 (290736)
02-26-2006 8:55 PM
Reply to: Message 23 by lfen
02-25-2006 4:37 AM


Darkness Falls
Hi Ifen,
Rather than an incurable plague or asteroid impact, how 'bout good ol' fashioned ecological collapse? Sort of, "not with a bang, but a whimper" scenario. I doubt that would eliminate all humanity, but the trend is there for the demise of Homo technicus, I'd say.
For an interesting look at this concept, see for instance Ehrlich and Ehrlich 1981 Extinction (Random House), the ecosphere feedback loop theory of Levin 1999 in Fragile Dominion (Perseus Books), or for something more recent, Diamond 2005 Collapse (Viking Press). I like the last one primarily because he talks about nature eventually sorting out the problem even if we don't do anything - in this case by deleting us.

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Replies to this message:
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jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 28 of 36 (290745)
02-26-2006 9:53 PM
Reply to: Message 27 by Quetzal
02-26-2006 8:55 PM


The grass is greener
Rather than an incurable plague or asteroid impact, how 'bout good ol' fashioned ecological collapse?
I don't think you even have to go that far.
If there was just a small nudge to the climate, nothing major but enough so that harvests became unpredictable. Look at what happened in Europe during the Little Ice Age and actually continuing right up into the mid 1800s.
If we could not predict what areas will be productive, say four out of ten years, for a period of a century or so, what would be left?

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

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Replies to this message:
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Quetzal
Member (Idle past 5872 days)
Posts: 3228
Joined: 01-09-2002


Message 29 of 36 (290758)
02-26-2006 10:32 PM
Reply to: Message 28 by jar
02-26-2006 9:53 PM


Re: The grass is greener
I agree. One of the most troubling scenarios for me is even a slight warming trend melting enough of the north polar ice to push the Gulf Stream south, or worse, disrupt it completely. Makes the LGM look like an ice cream cone. With all of northern Europe (say, to the Pyrenees), Russia to the Aral Sea, and North America (say, to the Ohio River) frozen over, not much chance the northern hemisphere civilizations surviving. And without the agricultural produce being exported from Canada and the US wheat belt, a lot of other countries are going to be in real trouble as well. Global economic meltdown caused by ecological disruption. "And a fun time was had by all."
added by edit: Of course, climate change might just make the Sahara bloom again. Wouldn't THAT be a kick?
This message has been edited by Quetzal, 02-26-2006 10:34 PM

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jar
Member (Idle past 394 days)
Posts: 34026
From: Texas!!
Joined: 04-20-2004


Message 30 of 36 (290761)
02-26-2006 10:46 PM
Reply to: Message 29 by Quetzal
02-26-2006 10:32 PM


Re: The grass is greener
And it is certainly possible, perhaps even likely.
What really annoys me is just like Katrina, just like 9-11, just like the situation in the Middle-East, everyone is standing around aruguing about causes and probabilities and doing NOTHING about preparing for the consequences.

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

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