Subject:
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Re: Future of Humanity (was: lotsa stuff)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Mon, 22 Oct 2001 12:47:56 GMT
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Viewed:
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677 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Ross Crawford writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Larry Pieniazek writes:
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Ross Crawford writes:
> >
> > > We'd have to come up with some sort of practical interstellar travel • technique
> > > first - the solar system's gonna get unlivable way before the death of the
> > > universe. But (IMO) we're gonna be history way before that.
> >
> > How do you figure?
> >
> > In part it depends on your definition of "we". Humanity has "stopped
> > evolution" recently,
>
> When? No-one told me...
Too early to tell for sure but we as a species have in part stopped evolving
because we have shut down most of the selection factors (disease, famine,
the birth defect effect on reproduction)
As for the survival of the race, we have to get over the next 100 and out
into the rest of the system (99+++% of the resource, energy and cubic exists
off earth). If we do that we're a lock. It matters not that there are not
hospitable environments out there. We make our own. It matters not that we
may not have FTL. We'll build arcs in hollowed out asteroids and send
generationships.
You're way too pessimistic.
But then, most people that ask the sort of repeated questions you do tend to
be pessimists rather than optimists.
Me, I'm an optimist, I have faith in our basic goodness and our amazing
cleverness. But then I'm American.
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Message has 3 Replies:
 | | Re: Future of Humanity (was: lotsa stuff)
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| (...) I'm not quite sure I agree that those are the reasons we've put evolution on pause. After all, if a species is able to overcome certain challenges (disease, famine, etc), aren't they *not* selection factors? The birth defect thing and genetic (...) (23 years ago, 22-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | Re: Future of Humanity (was: lotsa stuff)
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| (...) "in part stopped evolving". I don't get the meaning of that. Humanity is either evolving or not - and I disagree that we've made any significant differences in these areas. Oh, maybe a little in the western world... (...) Nah, just more so (...) (23 years ago, 23-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
| | | Re: Future of Humanity (was: lotsa stuff)
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| (...) Actually, I think the "mechanism" of eveolution is more to do with small genetic changes that may not show any external effect for many generations. And though we've started looking into such things, we're nowhere near being able to "shut them (...) (23 years ago, 23-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Future of Humanity (was: lotsa stuff)
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| (...) technique (...) When? No-one told me... (...) I don't totally agree. Evolution turned chimps into humans. We definitely don't consider them "humanity" though they may well consider us "chimpity"(tm). At some point, humans will likely evolve (...) (23 years ago, 22-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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