How do you think mankind is faring these days?

Archeron

Something I've been wondering about lately is how people generally think mankind is faring in an extremely general sense in recent times. This is a dramatically over general question, but just to get an idea.

For me personally, I do vaguely remember the end of the cold war, and this always made me think the world was safer. Because I was too young to really know what went on, all I knew was the Russia and America werent at each others throats anymore, and that IMO, the world became a little bit safer. No more talk of people talking about nuclear threats or the end of the world.

September 11th changed my whole outlook on the world, and to me that is the one day more than anything that changed everything I know. Obviously, there is a lot of ignorance on my part here, as I wasnt aware of other horrific events around the world previous to this, but that one day really brought home to me the potential viciousness that mankind seems to hold dear at times.

I feel that since september 11th, its not even countries that are at war now, but entire civilisations. The thread here in humanities about the rise of Islamaphobia shows how now we dont just fear governemnts and countries, but we can begin to fear the entire way of life of another people, mostly basedd on the actions of a few. Most of this IMO is due to a lack of understanding, but it seems that people no longer want to find out about others and learn, but just destroy what they dont instantly like, and what is not and cannot become something of value to them.

Going hand in hand with this is the new weapons technologies that are becoming available that can make war more "attractive" then ever before. Now we can kill each other from space, under the sea, inside mountains. Hell, we dont even need soldiers anymore, we can take out your hospitals from 5000 miles away!!

The deprerssing evidence is mounting in the natural world. The coral reefs are fading fast, the icecaps are melting, the jungles are disappearing. Sir David Attenboroughs recent articles on how the world is changing was probably the most frightening thing I have ever read.
The people of the Earth are at each others throats, and to hear of innocent people blown to bits while going about their business no longer surprises us. Be that in Baghdad, New York or London. It appears that cetain nations dont give a toss about what everyone else thinks, and will press ahead with their ideas, secure in the knowledge that no-one can actually challenge them. (Sorry, I just wanted to put this point in as for me, its very relevant to this sunject) Even the void (if I may use that word) between Europe and the US seems to be widening in recent times with Europeans seeing the US as one of the biggest threats to world peace.

I know that human history is riddled with war, religious intolerance, and all of the bad aspects of society, and there really is no such thing as a Utopian world. I also note that the above mentioned technology brings us information and images and sounds from all over the globe in split seconds, making us more and more aware of the misery that exists, and possibly making things look worse than ever before.

I dont know if it is the increase in media in recent times, but I just really feel that mankind is kind of f*cked' now, and that we kind of deserve whatever is coming. I dont mean that from a doomsayer point of view, or a conspiracy theory point of view. I just kind of feel that we may have just gone slightly too far now to pull back from the brink.

Do you think we have a long term future or do you see mankind finally going kaboom sometime soon?

punky

An interesting post.

I think there was a lot of optimism at the end of the 20th century with the fall of the Soviet Union. This was summed up by Francis Fukuyama's The End of History which argued that liberal democracy had now 'won' and was destined to spread throughout the world. The thesis was, of course, completely flawed and has been ridiculed ever since. Since the Iraq debacle, Fukuyama has turned against the people he used to support, namely American neo-cons.

It is often argued that the pessimism that has been sinking in lately has a lot to do with Sept 11, the war on terror, the failure of the anti Iraq war movement and the renewed arms race with new players such as Iran and North Korea. These are certainly major factors but they're not the whole story.

As you pointed out, environmental and energy issues are also causing a lot of anxiety, for both individuals and for governments/int. organisations. Global warming/climate change (whatever you want to call it) is arguably the biggest threat humanity (and many other species) face this century. Coupled with dwindling fossil fuels and subsequent concerns over energy security, things aren't looking too rosy. It is not unforeseeable that more wars this century will be fought over access to water or oil/gas reserves (although this is nothing new). We're also looking at the prospect of millions of environmental refugees due to rising sea levels, flooding, droughts and the other side effects of global warming.

Another major issue which isn't fashionable these days is population. Our rapidly increasing population, particularly in the developing world, is putting a major strain on our environment, energy and food supplies and on security issues. The population problem is exacerbated by the current free market capitalist system which is dominant throughout most of the world. In Japan, for example, politicians and media are currently debating the "problem" of low birth rates (and an ageing population). This in the most densley populated country in the world (130 m in a country the size of France, a good proportion of which is unihabitable mountain ranges). I'm hearing few voices of reason suggesting that maybe it's not necessarily good for the future if all choices we make are determined by whether they will help 'expand' the economy.

The uncomfortable truth is that free market capitalism may have brought those of us lucky enough to be born in the right part of the right country a lot of great personal freedoms and comforts. It could, however, fuel catastrophic ecological and security problems. It's time we started looking at alternatives. Changing our own behaviour and changing the current global system. It won't be easy. Any suggestions?

Jackie laughlin

This is an interesting approach to thinking about the purpose of human endeavour.

I'm old enough to have had my optimism shaped by the 60s: everything was going to get better and better. The 70s left me deflated, disappointed. They weren't socialist, the supply of oil was curtailed, the IRA put paid to progress in NI, the cruel indifference of Thatcherite policies began to spread, the Church was back in business with a vibrant pope, even the music was awful. It looked like we were back to the 50s.

That kind of depression however can only last so long. If necessary, it all has be challenged anew. That is the purpose of people of goodwill.

We do seem to live today in a period of great danger and conflict but the old debate remains: how should we live? There was a time when liberalism had reached acceptance and we could argue about the socialist alternative. These days I think the argument is between reason and unreason with thinking people of the left and right increasingly having to be on the same side.

It's a bloody great and interesting time to be alive - as long as you live in the West!

World seems to be a nicer place to live in compared to 500,100,50 and even 25 years. If you want to use that as a barometer, mankind has been faring progressively better for the last 500 years.

Catsmokinpot

we've gotten very far with techology, but have we really developed socially in the same way? i don't think so we keep repeating the same mistakes of the past. keep re-hashing old ideas about the way things are and trying to enforce those ideas onto others, creating wars, hunger, death and suffering.

technologically we may be advanced, but thats all heading for a fall, we cant sustain our industry indefinitely, our oil reserves are running out. our whole economy runs on oil; for transport of goods, creation of pesticides, rubber, circuit boards, mechanical goods, even shampoo. it takes oil to make any consumer goods, when that runs out were going to be bolloxed, to put it lightly.

it may be a pesimistic view, but i cant wait till the **** hits the fan, were due a good old war or two round these parts.... (as if that hasn't happened before)

some good websites to look at if you want to be morbid :-
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
http://www.endofsuburbia.com/

Moriarty

You know the way there's always someone decrying the end of the world tomorrow? They have actually always been there.

When we really want to be - or more specifically when we're forced to be - we can be very resourceful.

I amn't in the slightest worried about oil becoming a scarce commodity - we will adjust. New materials and systems will be developed to replace oil-intensive and oil-reliant industries and products. It's already happening. The only reason oil-based products are so pervasive in our society is because oil is exceptionally cheap, plentiful and almost universally useful.

punky

"You know the way there's always someone decrying the end of the world tomorrow? They have actually always been there."

I think there is a big difference between situations of the past such as the the 20th century fears of a nuclear armaggedon that never occured (still could though!). That was a case of having the potential to destroy ourselves but just not doing it.

I see global warming (more so than the end of fossil fuels, we will adjust if we're forced to) as being a completely different kettle of fish. It's a linear process that has been greatly accelerating in recent decades and is projected to accelerate much further and faster in the coming century. We're clearly not doing enough about it and the international climate change legislation is extremely fragile and could fall apart very easily in the coming years (If, for example, a large industrial country such as Canada pulls out, like they're threatening to do, or if we can't get the likes of the US, China, India, Brazil etc. on board).

I don't think it's a case of irrational scare mongering. It's more 'unless we act now the end is in sight' rather than 'the end is nigh'. The solutions need to be drastic and quickly implemented. We basically know what we have to do but it won't be easy. We'll need to reverse the trend in global population growth, change the way we use and produce energy and change the way we travel, work and consume.

Schuhart

I think we're confronting an Outside Context Problem. I don't see anything inherent in our global society to enable it to cope or adapt to the challenges facing us. I think the example of politicians seeking ways to increase the birth rate to pay pensions is a good example of this. There is no way, even in democratic societies, for the news that the expectation of retirement is history to perculate into changed behaviour.

The strategic decisions that shape our society are being made by people who do not expect to be still alive to face the consequences. They really don't care what happens afterwards, and the generations following seem to be happy little consumers who either avoid or simply are not interested in what the foundations of our lifestyle are founded on.

I don't see any ultimate brake on all of this until an actual physical limit has been reached. We'll burn oil until it runs out and/or irreversible damage has been done. The problem is bigger than our ability to organise a response to it.

Bear in mind, people don't face reality generally. Religion is pure hokum, but people will throw themselves into it rather than cope with the reality of mortality. The greater the problem, the greater the willingness to pretend its not there.

Case in point. We know air travel is unsustainable. So why is aviation fuel still untaxed?

Pocari Sweat

I don't want to put a damper on the pessimistic arguments, but you have to approach all things with the view that even though its a funny ole' world and things look bad at times, but there's always an answer in sorting stuff out, because ultimately we have to.

On a human level over the last 50 years say, things were not all that bad and have got better in many ways. In the swinging sixties the times were certainly up beat, but at the same time we were at the peak of the cold war with kennedy's finger close to the nuke button with the cuban missile crisis and the ongoing vietnam war through the sixties. But still, partying, fashion, technology, computers, space travel and hopes for the future were all at full tilt.

European human rights were progressing at a fair pace, sexual equality legislation, the availablity of the pill, hanging was abolished for some time in many euro countries and on the way out in many others. Things were on the up.

Later in the late 70's, early 80's, we caught up to speed with racial equality issues and humour was turning PC and a lot of old racist jokes on TV etc were on the way out. Fashion went tits up in the 80's but got sorted out a decade or 2 later, the troubles were getting sorted out in the north, living standards have always been on the up and up, electronic goods have been one thing that for over 30 years or so have not only been getting better every year but have also got cheaper year on year for any given appliance grouping, a negative inflation that rarely applies to anything else.

After the slump in the economy in the 90's with daft interest rates, we have had a good 10 years now with very low interest rates, and a celtic tiger that seems to know no end.

Maybe 50% of our current oil reserves are calculated to be available by 2050, but there still will be supply, whilst we have a few years to look at filling the gap with many other sources.

I think generally we can look on the brighter side of life. Jobs are plentiful, there are big wages that can be earned if you go out looking, you can buy a pair of jeans for 5 euros and live fairly cheaply if you want with many basic needs available at cheap prices. You don't have to get married until much later, there isn't the same pressure to be wed and mortgaged so early in life as it was in the past.

In the 60's there were many scary world events happening, but life was getting faster, and more exciting and people generally had optimism, and life is getting a bit hectic now, but it is exciting and there are many hopes in the future to sort out a lot of crap we did in the past to the environment, and we will have to do it now without much question.

Even if things kick off badly with a major war in the middle east and it spreads, war is generally quicker nowadays and things will have to sort them selves out after, like we did after the second world war, and then begins a cycle of optimism again and so on. Cheer up, it ain't so bad.

manonthemoon

Archeron wrote:

Something I've been wondering about lately is how people generally think mankind is faring in an extremely general sense in recent times.

Grand, just grand

Archeron

manonthemoon wrote:

Grand, just grand

A good positive answer. I like that