What do you believe is most likely to end human civilization?
229 sats \ 15 comments \ @Coinsreporter 28 Mar BooksAndArticles
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
-by Robert Frost
You can get many interpretations for this small piece of creativity that poses some serious questions about the death of humanity. Some of you would say that it's all about Earth's demise most probably due to either of fire or ice.
But before you make your decision on either, the poet has mentioned hatred as one other scenario that may end the world or humanity. I'm a little more positive and I don't see hatred can melt down humanity. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I don't want to be very logical yet I would go with the most probable ending. Here's my view:
The world will not decay until the sun becomes a red giant in about 7.59 billion years. Humans will likely become extinct before then, probably due to human-caused or natural climate change.
What do you say?
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13 sats \ 3 replies \ @0xbitcoiner 28 Mar
I think it's important to distinguish between human extinction and the destruction of planet Earth.
I agree with you that the destruction of the planet is likely to happen. However, I don't believe that humans will go extinct as a result. I think we'll be able to leave this planet before that happens. Maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I believe it's possible in the distant future.
Of course, there could be natural disasters along the way that could wipe out millions of people in an instant. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes could certainly delay humanity's progress in colonizing other planets.
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12 sats \ 2 replies \ @Coinsreporter OP 28 Mar
Great! So you believe that humans will exist forever, if not here, on other planet.
I also have such wishful thoughts but with the natural disasters I just didn't mean another earthquake or a volcanic eruption. I thought of it like an ice age for thousands of years or maybe all the ice is melt. How will humans go on to exist here. Also, I'd you look at the rate of increase in temperatures, may be our wishful thinking of establishing a colony on another planet would remain only in our wishes.
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21 sats \ 1 reply \ @0xbitcoiner 28 Mar
Climate change is real, we have 100 years of records to prove it, but who knows if this isn't just part of a thousands-year cycle? I don't know if the changes are fundamentally caused by what we are told. We could also be heading towards an ice age, there's no way to be sure. Just as there's no certainty that we'll ever be able to colonize another planet. One thing I do know is, "God wills, man dreams, the work is born." - Fernando Pessoa
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16 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter OP 28 Mar
Yes, I agree. We can only be uncertain about what's gonna happen in 100 or 1000 or 10000 years. Everything's possible. Yes, God's will will prevail.
Quote to quote reply:
"God will meet you where you are in order to take you where He wants you to go."
  • Tony Evans
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12 sats \ 1 reply \ @grayruby 28 Mar
The robots will take us out.
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21 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter OP 28 Mar
Yes! That is a probability as well. It's happening quite fast as well.
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11 sats \ 8 replies \ @Krv 29 Mar
Human species will convert into another that is intertwined with some sort of 'artificial intelligence', which may or may not seem alive, but are like some kind of decision makers. It will look as though humans are 'in sevice' of these 'beings', if you could call them that.
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0 sats \ 3 replies \ @Coinsreporter OP 29 Mar
Oh, you mean some super intelligent 'pods' who will govern humans in future and make them irrelevant.
I don't see this happening. Humans ae super smart. They have accepted and let many things lose but they had never and will never allow machines to govern them.
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @Krv 29 Mar
Unfortunately, human intelligence is steadily declining. It continues in cycles, upward and downward. See Edward Dutton, At Our Wits End for the case for that.
To the main point, humans have now started to manipulate their genes. Thus, they will inevitably begin to select them. Since genes are massively complicated and contain an overwhelming amount of information, humans will begin to use computers help them make these selections. Over many generations of a sort of genetic 'arms race' will ensue. Those who use computers will outpace those who don't.
Then it's a matter of who has the best computers / algorithms, which will, as a result, continuously improve. Eventually, humans will depend upon the computers to select their genes. The long path of this dangerous trend, is the computers become very advanced and there will be a kind tango between 'humans' and computers. The arms race will lead to the situation where computers that control humans the best will be the most powerful. On and on until neither of them look the same as they did before.
That's the danger humans have over the next many millennia. Not sure it can be avoided. The temptation to edit genes will be not easy to avoid en masse.
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10 sats \ 0 replies \ @Krv 29 Mar
Unless, of course, something destroys human progress first.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter OP 29 Mar
Agree on most parts except for 'tango between us and computers'.
Computers will always be servant to men because what separates humans from objects also applies to computers.
The idea of computer or any machine taking over the world is predicated on the assumption that they would have the motive and desire to do so. However, machines are not sentient beings, and they lack the capacity for self-awareness and emotions. This means that machines do not have the desire to take over the world or any other motive, for that matter.
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0 sats \ 3 replies \ @Krv 29 Mar
In this view, humans will be exinct, because they are something else. Over several 10000s of years.
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0 sats \ 2 replies \ @Coinsreporter OP 29 Mar
What do you mean by 'something else'?
Humans have been living for more than 10000s of years now and are still humans. Next 10000s of years will be no different.
Yes, humans will be smarter than now, more capable, may be living 100s of years more. May be less fertile, may be with lot of attached mechanical accessories, (like we see mechanical limbs these days). But, humans will be humans because they are emotional beings. AI and Machines can't replicate human emotions so they are destined to fail.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Krv 29 Mar
See my other comment. If humans manipulate their genes, en masse, to have a lot more intelligence and the above mention cycle is mitigated, perhaps humans can be smart enough to create different outcomes. But we can't be sure. We have no idea the effects of humans choosing their own traits.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Coinsreporter OP 29 Mar
Yes, I agree we have no idea. We, humans, are all spoiled children with speculations.
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