How will the world end ??? ALL DEBATORS!! - Page 4

yeh what about ice age ??? 😛

Originally posted by: *Jane*

That's very apocalyptic and incredibly possible. I'm going to, though, give humanity the benefit of the doubt and say that we may be making progress to a more elevated place, closer to a utopia (never reaching but close enough) then to a state of self destruction.
Because to me, right now, it seems we can go either way.

Unfortunately *Jane*ji, I am not as optimistic as you are. The so called "progress to a more elevated place" is pure escapism, and totally esoteric. It is beyond the comprehension of the average "cavemen" out there, that are spreading hatred and fear. Start by looking at all the stuff going on in your immediate world. On a larger scale, what state of elevation are we achieving with all the crap going on in Africa and Asia for example?

But if you truly believe then please spread the word. Maybe that may start a fire, and man will save this planet and mankind. Who knows, it may recreate Eden or some utopia for real. Me, I will be the dearly departed before either Eden or the last big bang happens on this planet.....I hope.😉

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_extinction#Human_extincti on_scenarios

Various scenarios for the extinction of the human species have originated from science, popular culture, science fiction, and religion (see apocalypse and eschatology). The expression existential risk has been coined to refer to risks of total and irreversible destruction of human life, or of some lesser, but universal and permanent detriment to it.

The following are among the extinction scenarios that have been envisaged by various authors:

Severe forms of known or recorded disasters
Warfare, whether nuclear or biological; see World War III.
• Universal pandemic involving a genetic disease, virus, prion, or antibiotic-resistant bacterium.
• Famine resulting from overpopulation (see Malthusian catastrophe)

Environmental collapses
Catastrophic climate change as a result of global warming or the effects of extensive deforestation or pollution. (E.g. the warnings of James Lovelock#Mass human extinction) Loss of a breathable atmosphere, for example due to an anoxic event, or destruction of the ozone layer.
• Occurrence of a supervolcano.
• Extreme ice age leading to Snowball Earth

Long term habitat threats
In 1.4 million years Gliese 710 will be only 1.1 Light years from Earth, and might catastrophically perturb the Oort cloud In about 3 billion years, our Milky Way galaxy is expected to pass through the Andromeda galaxy, which may or may not result in a collision
• In 5 billion years hence the Sun's stellar evolution will reach the red giant stage, in which it will expand but mathematically it cannot engulf earth, it will only change the climate. Before this date, its radiated spectrum may alter in ways Earth-bound humans could not survive.
• In the far future the main risks to human survival could be heat death and cooling with the expansion of the universe.

Evolution of humanity into a posthuman life-form or existence by means of technology, leaving no trace of original humans
Commentators such as Hans Moravec argue that humanity will eventually be supplanted and replaced by artificial intelligence or other forms of artificial life; others such as Kevin Warwick point to the possibility of humans evolving by linking with technology^[2]; while others have argued that humanity will inevitably experience a technological singularity, and furthermore that this outcome is desirable (see singularitarianism). transhumanist genetic engineering could lead to a species unable to inter-procreate, accidentally resulting in actual (rather than pseudo) extinction.
• Humans will continue to evolve via traditional natural selection over a period of millions of years, and homo sapiens will gradually transition into one or more new species.
• Isaac Asimov's 'The Last Question' provides a diversion on this theme and is considered one of the greatest science fiction short stories ever written.

Extinction in a whimper
Preference for fewer children; if developed world demographics are extrapolated they mathematically lead to 'soft' extinction before 3000 AD. (John Leslie estimates that if the reproduction rate drops to the German level the extinction date will be 2400^[6]). Political intervention in reproduction has failed to raise the birth rate above the replacement level in the rich world, but has dramatically succeeded in lowering it below the replacement level in China^{[citation needed]} (see One child policy). A World government with a eugenic or small population policy could send humanity into 'voluntary' extinction. Infertility: Caused by hormonal disruption from the chemical/pharmaceutical industries, or biological changes, such as the (controversial) findings of falling sperm cell count in human males. A disruption, chemical, biological, or otherwise, in humans' ability to reproduce properly or at all
• Disease: The 'weak-gened' and birth-defected are kept alive by medicines. This is the opposite of nature, where the weak are less likely to survive and successfully reproduce, leaving the species genetically 'strong'. Eventually everyone has weak/flawed genes, and these defects become increasingly severe, until the human body is unable to fight diseases, even with the help of advanced medicine. In the end, disease ends the human species. Arguably however if this point was reached natural selection would again become a factor, potentially reversing this 'decline'.
• Voluntary extinction

Scientific accidents
In his book Our Final Hour, Sir Martin Rees claims that without the appropriate regulation, scientific advancement increases the risk of human extinction as a result of the effects or use of new technology. Some examples are provided below.
• Uncontrolled nanotechnology (grey goo) incidents resulting in the destruction of the Earth's ecosystem (ecophagy).
• Creation of a naked singularity (such as a "micro black hole") on Earth during the course of a scientific experiment, or other foreseeable scientific accidents in high-energy physics research, such as vacuum phase transition or stranglet incidents. There are worrys concerning the LHC at CERN as it is feared that collision of protons at near the speed of light will result in the creation of a black hole.
• Biotech disaster (E.g. the warnings of Jeremy Rifkin)

Scenarios of extra-terrestrial origin
Major impact events. Gamma-ray burst in our part of the Milky Way (Bursts observable in other galaxies are calculated to act as a "sterilizer", and have been used by some astronomers to explain the Fermi paradox). The lack of fossil record interruptions, and relative distance of the nearest Hypernova candidate make this a long term (rather than imminent) threat. A black hole may destroy the Earth. Invasion by militarily superior aliens (see alien invasion) — often considered to be a scenario purely from the realms of science fiction, professional SETI researchers have given serious consideration to this possibility, but conclude that it is unlikely. ^[7] Gerard O'Neill has cautioned that first contact with alien intelligence may follow the precedent set by historical examples of contact between human civilizations, where the less technologically-advanced civilization has inevitably succumbed to the other civilization, regardless of its intentions.
• Solar flares may suddenly heat the earth, or the light from the sun may be blocked by dust, slowly freezing it (eg. the dust and vapour may come from a Kuiper belt disturbance).
• It is possible that the space of our universe, the Big Bang, and all its consequences are events taking place within a computer or other device on another cosmological plane, if this process were to end then everything within the universe would summarily vanish (see Simulated Reality).

Originally posted by: bunbutt_too

Unfortunately *Jane*ji, I am not as optimistic as you are. The so called "progress to a more elevated place" is pure escapism, and totally esoteric. It is beyond the comprehension of the average "cavemen" out there, that are spreading hatred and fear. Start by looking at all the stuff going on in your immediate world. On a larger scale, what state of elevation are we achieving with all the crap going on in Africa and Asia for example?

But if you truly believe then please spread the word. Maybe that may start a fire, and man will save this planet and mankind. Who knows, it may recreate Eden or some utopia for real. Me, I will be the dearly departed before either Eden or the last big bang happens on this planet.....I hope.😉

That's probably true as I like to look at the best in everything. I do see the damage we are causing all around us and sometimes it does make me worry that humanity really has been skewered to the point of no return. Through it all though, I'm remaining as optimistic as possible.
Hopefully, your conjecture will remain just that, a conjecture. And hopefully, humanity isn't already half-way to suicide.
~JaneL

I remember reading somewhere that one of probable reason why we haven't yet found any other intelligent civilization is bec'se every intelligent civilization manages to self-destruct itself before reaching at sufficiently advanced stage so that it could establish contact with any other civilisation in the universe. So we may meet the same fate also...all intelligent civilisation has this inherent ability to self-destruct itself. It was something along these lines.

Originally posted by: SolidSnake

I remember reading somewhere that one of probable reason why we haven't yet found any other intelligent civilization is bec'se every intelligent civilization manages to self-destruct itself before reaching at sufficiently advanced stage so that it could establish contact with any other civilisation in the universe. So we may meet the same fate also...all intelligent civilisation has this inherent ability to self-destruct itself. It was something along these lines.

Nice to know that the E.T.'s, who we have not had the pleasure to meet, as yet, are as stupid, idiotic and violent as us earthlings.