What do you think could halt the progress of human civilization?

[Alan McDougall]

What do the think will be the most pressing problem or barriers to the ongoing progress of human civilization, or what do you suppose could even halt its progress, in the coming years of even centuries?

 

Can I bounce of the topic with this question, and give my input after receiving a few comments from other members, thank you?

[cladking]

Superstition.

 

Belief kills as do asteroids.

 

Evolutionary decay and economic collapse are a larger threat than ever. The chances of plague go up every year.

 

I believe the greatest threat of a new dark ages is suppression of human freedom by the technological elite and business interests. In a decade or two this fear may be seen dated but don't count on it. Trends in this regard are all highly unfavorable and each year people become less responsible for theior actions and already aren't answerable to results. Generally our leaders are only responsible for what they say. This is very dangerous and gets worse every year.

 

I've always said that we'll find a way to muddle through but this looks less likely than in the past.

[Alan McDougall]

Superstition.

 

Belief kills as do asteroids.

 

Evolutionary decay and economic collapse are a larger threat than ever. The chances of plague go up every year.

 

I believe the greatest threat of a new dark ages is suppression of human freedom by the technological elite and business interests. In a decade or two this fear may be seen dated but don't count on it. Trends in this regard are all highly unfavorable and each year people become less responsible for theior actions and already aren't answerable to results. Generally our leaders are only responsible for what they say. This is very dangerous and gets worse every year.

 

I've always said that we'll find a way to muddle through but this looks less likely than in the past.

 

I dont think our leaders always answer what they say , sometimes they lie to the public as is the case of president Obama and the health care event.

 

One real worry to face humanity and its future progress in the uncontrolled population explosion , leading to famine and disease in the very places on earth that are unable to cope with these events

[iNow]

Climate change and religion, not necessarily in that order.

[Alan McDougall]

Climate change and religion, not necessarily in that order.

 

14,000 posts heck when do you find the time to sleep?

 

To add a little meat to the topic, lets consider the possibilities below?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risks_to_civilization,_humans,_and_planet_Earth

In no particular order

 

Warfare and mass destruction

 

Experimental accident

 

Global pandemic

 

Man-made global warming

 

Ecological disaster

 

Earthquake 11 +

 

World population explosion

 

agricultural crisis famine

 

Geomagnetic reversal

 

Natural climate change

 

Volcanism Megatsunami

 

Asteroid/Comet impact

 

Extraterrestrial invasion

 

Cosmic threats

 

The Doomsday Clock

 

Doomsday clock set to 7 minutes to midnight 1947

 

Set 5 minutes to midnight 2012, only moved 2 minutes nearer midnight, over that period of 65 years

 

2 minutes before midnight 1953 (testing of atomic weapons) closest ever to midnight

 

17 minutes before midnight (USSR dissolves furthest from midnight in 65 years)

Edited December 22, 2013 by Alan McDougall

[john5746]

War and disease.

[Dekan]

Mass immigration.

[iNow]

Mass immigration.

Some bad zombie ideas like this never seem to die. I feel like I've been repeating this point a lot lately, but alas... Circumstances apparently warrant it.

 

FYI -

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/31/worried-about-the-economy-then-pass-immigration-reform/

Few economic problems wouldn't be improved by more immigration. If you're worried about deficits, more young, healthy workers paying into Social Security and Medicare are an obvious boon. If you're concerned about the slowdown in new company formation and its attendant effects on economic growth, more immigrant entrepreneurs should cheer you. If you're worried about the dearth of science and engineering majors in our universities, an influx of foreign-born students is the most obvious solution you'll find.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/29/five-things-economists-know-about-immigration/

Economists have tried to put a dollar figure on how much the world economy would grow if we just removed all immigration restrictions overnight. The answer: a lot. Angel Aguiar and Terrie Walmsley modeled the effects of three U.S. policy alternatives full deportation of Mexican immigrants, full legalization and full legalization with increased border control and found, unsurprisingly, that full deportation reduces gross domestic product and the others would add. Deportation reduces GDP by 0.61 percent, legalization with border control increases it by 0.17 percent and legalization without border control increases it by 0.53 percent.

 

Pritchett, meanwhile, compared what open borders would do to world GDP, compared to completely free movement of capital and completely free trade with developing countries. It's not even close. Open borders increase world GDP by $65 trillion. Let me repeat that. $65 trillion with a 't'. The others don't even come close:

More here: http://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-letter/2010/august/effect-immigrants-us-employment-productivity/

[Dekan]

Thanks iNow.

 

But aren't your economic rationalisations a desperate attempt to deny the obvious - mass immigration means the end of America. By 2100 you'll all be speaking Spanish. The USA will be just a third-world Greater Mexico. You gave away the store.

 

Reminds one of the Charleton Heston movie, where he finds the fallen Statue of Liberty on the beach.

[iNow]

aren't your economic rationalisations a desperate attempt to deny the obvious

No.

 

By 2100 you'll all be speaking Spanish.

Spanish? We don't even speak English very well.

[Prometheus]

mass immigration means the end of America. By 2100 you'll all be speaking Spanish. The USA will be just a third-world Greater Mexico.

 

Um, speaking Spanish isn't the end of the world.

[Viviator]

Lack of understanding (of pretty much everything)

I hold the optmistic belief that the more you understand something, the better you would conduct your actions (assuming there is such a thing as 'good' and it's not just the result of people hanging opinions on (historical) events.

So, education all the way!

[dimreepr]

"We've arranged a global civilization in which the most crucial elements -- transportation, communications, and all other industries; agriculture, medicine, education, entertainment, protecting the environment; and even the key democratic institution of voting -- profoundly depend on science and technology.

We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces."

 

Carl Sagan

[Alan McDougall]

Thanks iNow.

 

But aren't your economic rationalisations a desperate attempt to deny the obvious - mass immigration means the end of America. By 2100 you'll all be speaking Spanish. The USA will be just a third-world Greater Mexico. You gave away the store.

 

Reminds one of the Charleton Heston movie, where he finds the fallen Statue of Liberty on the beach.

 

How does immigration into the USA equate to the movie,"Planet of the apes"?

[Greg H.]

The biggest problem facing human civilization are the humans that make it up. Our inability to see beyond our own lifespan and plan for future generations combined with our almost willful ignorance of the nature of the world will kill us off as surely as any asteroid impact or nuclear war.

[cladking]

The biggest problem facing human civilization are the humans that make it up. Our inability to see beyond our own lifespan and plan for future generations combined with our almost willful ignorance of the nature of the world will kill us off as surely as any asteroid impact or nuclear war.

 

Indeed.

 

And now days most decisions are being made by business interests who can't see beyond the bnext quarterly report. In an age that quality of services and products is plummeting to pad the bootom line and line the common land fills the business leaders are taking ever more of the "profits" and wanting our thanks for an economy that hasn't yet fallen off the edge.

 

These are perilous times with numerous trends leading tothe cliff face.

 

The most dangerous aspect of "willfull" ignorance is the belief we know everything.

War and disease.

 

I should have considered war. I came to believe that all out war became impossible in about 1963 but situations change and history is fluid. There may be some madman (men) who believe they can prevail in nuclear war.

 

 

One real worry to face humanity and its future progress in the uncontrolled population explosion , leading to famine and disease in the very places on earth that are unable to cope with these events

 

 

Certainly populationincrease necessarily increase risk of contagion but there's no real limit on the amount of food trhat can be prodiuced given sufficient energy. Or at the very least this limit is far above current production.

[dimreepr]

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

 

Douglas Adams

 

 

Edit/ My signature also fits the bill rather well.

Edited December 25, 2013 by dimreepr

[Alan McDougall]

"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

 

Douglas Adams

 

 

Edit/ My signature also fits the bill rather well.

 

I cant avoid thinking that humanity is something like a virus to our planet, as a virus is to its biological host. We are cutting off the hand that feeds and sustains us in an almost exponential rate.

[iNow]

Thanks, Agent Smith.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Na9-jV_OJI

[hoola]

global over population exaggerating normal problems into a slow death....death by 7 billion cuts....

[brockw69]

I'll simply answer this by using a cliché. If we keep going in the same direction, we are likely to end up at the destination.
In other word's, humans could halt the progress of human civilization if we continue to do things the way we have always done things in regard to world finance and so on and so forth.

<->
Warren

[Heroprime]

If you think about it, it already happened once, during the Christian golden age, all scientists were considered sorcerers and were killed, tortured and burned. During this time the human civilisation had almost no progress, so if it will happen again, some sort of religion will rule the entire world and they will reject facts and science, humanity will stop progressing.

[hoola]

human over-population and related effects are a problem for all aspects of the world, not just human progress.

[cladking]

If you think about it, it already happened once, during the Christian golden age, all scientists were considered sorcerers and were killed, tortured and burned. During this time the human civilisation had almost no progress, so if it will happen again, some sort of religion will rule the entire world and they will reject facts and science, humanity will stop progressing.

 

I believe we are far too dependent on machines and technology for this to be a problem.

 

We have more to fear from sabotage of the machines.

 

We have most to fear from the widespread belief that people aren't responsible for their actions.

 

Death and destruction are no longer the result of peoples' actions and inactions. They are simply unavoidable because no one tried to cause mayhem. The incompetent are promoted because their intentions are good. The route to hell is paved in gold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

m

,

[PeterJ]

Ghandi was once asked what he thought of Western civilisation. He thought for a moment and replied, 'That would be a good idea'.