Is the Earth doomed?

[Koopaking]

Time to start the first topic in the Mentality Symposium!

Sometimes I think about the planet. I think about humans, technology, nature, and civilization. And sometimes I think that humans are going to end up destroying the earth(or at least its capacity to comfortably support life) one way or another. Maybe even within the next century. We might blow each other up. We might use up all the planet's resources. We might dry up the oceans, or have them flood us. A rather pessimistic view, but I think that it is sadly inevitable, and that there is really nothing we can do to stop it.

Do you think the Earth is doomed?

[analogZero]

I don't think it's as doomed as most would think. It's not like we're going to blow the motha up, but the human race will crash in a sense. History's bound to repeat itself, right? well if you count up the numerous empires and civilizations that have come crashing down then it's somewhat easy to see where we're headed. All things rise from the earth and shall return to it, I suppose.

[Rincewind]

Actually in the Newspaper in Norway today theres a collum about a big thingey in, hmm swithzerland , a giant magnet or something , they talk about that things can go really really wrong and thats just for a stupid scientific experiment !!

I belive the world will NOT go under though, Optimistic

I will come back with more material and links later atm im at school ^^

[Viduus]

Yes, it is.

I suppose I could go on for pages about why I think humanity is completely screwed, by I find myself caring very little now. I used to watch the news, be informed about what's going on in the world and all it did was make me completely frustrated and depressed at the sheer amount of idiocy in the world. So I stopped paying attention and stopped caring. Somehow, I've been much happier since. Ignorance is bliss, perhaps?

[Russkie]

I definately agree that the world is full of idiot babies whose stupidity can become fatal for anyone within 3ft. But I am not entirely sure if the world is doomed or not, I am currently open to any argument of either side.

[Koopaking]

Originally Posted by Rincewind

Actually in the Newspaper in Norway today theres a collum about a big thingey in, hmm swithzerland , a giant magnet or something , they talk about that things can go really really wrong and thats just for a stupid scientific experiment !!

I belive the world will NOT go under though, Optimistic

I will come back with more material and links later atm im at school ^^

Ah yes, that would be the Large Hadron Collider...

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/...rn.xlarge1.jpg

...Which they say could either make some really awesome experiments that will send us further in our understanding of science and matter astronomically... or it could undo the fabric of time and matter and possibly end the world. Gotta take some chances in the name of discovery right?

[a2ng0d]

We are sucking our planet dry, but it doesn't mean that it's the end for mankind. The difference between today's world and the civilizations of old is that today we have organizations such as WTO and the UN. Countries involved in said organizations have dropped the primitive trait of humans killing other humans for stupid reasons, such as inferiority of race/class. We no longer wage war on peoples that we find "different". Countries/ groups that still continue these practices are not involved with these world organizations. In fact, they get schooled. Ex: Saddam Hussein and his genocide of the Kurds, and look how hard we f*cked him. Bin Laden is soon to get f*cked. and China/North Korea? I'd like to see them try.

Humans by nature are consumers. To get to our "top of the food-chain" status that we have acquired over the ages, we had to consume, and we had to destroy. However, we have also learned to adapt, better than any other organism on the planet. Sadly, we adapt mostly by spreading to other areas and consuming some more. But who knows, I for one believe that science will prevail in the end. That, and the fact that we have developed a conscience and/or a sense of ethics, and that we've become aware of our weaknesses, shows that we're capable of helping ourselves.

[athrun0017]

sadly to say, but i agree with koopa, this world is doomed or is on a path to obivillon!.. though now as time as progressed our natural resources have become scarse and that along with many other factors are what is causing the doom for our planet earth.. though i can see each nation or terrioristic act on blowing up one another.. still its just one reason why we are doomed.

[leerock89]

For me it depends on the way you look at the word 'doom'. Back in the days doom meant something similar to 'fate' or 'destiny'. Movies and television has turned to word into something ominous and forbidding. To vaguely answer the question, yes the world is doomed. By doomed do I mean end, over, kaputz? Maybe. By doomed do I mean something big will happen eventually? Yes. I for one do have a little faith in man kind to not destroy ourselves, but with each passing year that hope shrinks more and more. I know I stated this in the forums previously, but someone needs to get his/her brain to work past that 8 percentile and figure out a way to travel faster then light so that we can start expanding the human race beyond out star and reap the resources of our universe.

[analogZero]

Originally Posted by a2ng0d

We are sucking our planet dry, but it doesn't mean that it's the end for mankind. The difference between today's world and the civilizations of old is that today we have organizations such as WTO and the UN. Countries involved in said organizations have dropped the primitive trait of humans killing other humans for stupid reasons, such as inferiority of race/class. We no longer wage war on peoples that we find "different". Countries/ groups that still continue these practices are not involved with these world organizations. In fact, they get schooled. Ex: Saddam Hussein and his genocide of the Kurds, and look how hard we f*cked him. Bin Laden is soon to get f*cked. and China/North Korea? I'd like to see them try.

Humans by nature are consumers. To get to our "top of the food-chain" status that we have acquired over the ages, we had to consume, and we had to destroy. However, we have also learned to adapt, better than any other organism on the planet. Sadly, we adapt mostly by spreading to other areas and consuming some more. But who knows, I for one believe that science will prevail in the end. That, and the fact that we have developed a conscience and/or a sense of ethics, and that we've become aware of our weaknesses, shows that we're capable of helping ourselves.

I think that's probably one of the greatest achievements mankind's made, to unify. However, this is the first recorded period in which advanced civilizations are spread across the entire globe. Frankly, there's too many people, and the more we breed out, the more we need to consume. It's simple math that yes we will run out, and yes we will consume all. It's the case of what gives us strength will ultimately harbour our weakness. We're at the point where we pay more for water than we do for fuel and energy, in some asian cities you can purchase clean air from a vending machine, and we're perpetuated into a way of life that has us consuming more than we require. If you feel a sh*t coming on, you should run for the bathroom to take care of it...and not do it in your pants. that's what the world's coming to from what I'm seeing.