Re: Civilivation and Evolution
Stephen Heyer (sjh@network.com.au)
17 Aug 1996 07:29:22 GMT
Ken Comer <kcomer@fohnix.metronet.com> wrote in article
<4uad94$fet@fohnix.metronet.com>...
> C. Marc Wagner -- Unix Systems Specialist <mwagner@indiana.edu>
purportedly
<SNIP>
> This could well be the case. It should also be noted that the Sun is
> considered a variable G-class star, and the solar system has a number of
> worldlets which could potentially impact the Earth in the next 20,000
> years. Assuming that H. Sap. still treads the Earth by then, technology
> which would likely never come into being without large numbers of people
> working more-or-less together is likely to be the only hope for
> preventing humankind from going the way of the dinosaurs. Thus, it
> could be that civilization will be considered the ultimate saving trait
> of H. Sap.
The spooky thing is; I suspect that within the next half century technology
will no longer need civilization, or rather, the large organized
populations which is what is really being referred to here.
After all, good science can be done by very small populations. The best
science is still done by a relative handful, and their number seems more to
be set more on a per nation, or per city bases than as a percentage of the
population.
Civilization, in the form of large, organized populations and large cities
is only necessary for one intermediate stage, industrial society.
Manufacturing techniques no longer require large populations of workers,
or even customers, and soon will not even require the traditional large,
specialized, expensive factories. Likewise, once the vast mass of code is
written for computer systems, they will become largely self generating and
require only modest human input.
Add increasing inequalities of wealth and power across much of the world,
and the future looks really scary.
Sometime before the middle of the next century the new elite may come to
think of most of the population as merely nuisances. From that point on,
the outlook for the mass of humans looks increasingly bleak. Remember,
civilizations with large populations have come and gone many times before.
On the bright side, humans as such would be in no danger of extinction. In
fact, the long term prospects would be for a world with a population low
enough and individually wealthy, powerful and educated enough, to deliver a
ecological, cultural and scientific golden age.
Bit rough but if you are not among the elite.
>
> >It seems to me that it is less a matter of civilization and more a
matter of
> >OVERPOPULATION. The Human Race is an extremely successful species.
Some might
> >argue too successful. The use of resources is directly related to how
many of
> >us there are. The fact that we USE technology is not the problem. The
fact
> >that we MISUSE technology is.
>
<SNIP>
> Even if we wipe out the rain forests (bad idea), that is not likely to
> cause H. Sap. to quit making H. Sap.'s.
Actually, you would probably have to peel the planet like an onion to get
rid of humans and their technology. Adaptable little blighters, especially
now they have technology. About all they really need is a rock to live on
(or in) and a flow of energy to tap.
>
> the spiegel
> --
> *=*=*=*=*=*=*+*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*+*=*=*=*=*=*=*
> Ken Comer | http://www.metronet.com/~kcomer | aka spiegel
>
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Stephen Heyer, Queensland Australia
E-Mail: sjh@msn.com
Dated: 17 August, 1996
Love Truth; be tolerant; do good where practical.
Accept the sin when you must, or chose, to do evil.
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No representation is made regarding the accuracy or even sanity of
the opinions expressed in this communication. They may not even be
those of the author.
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