What does the future hold for humanity?

[Rob Lister]

That only applies when population and available energy is exponentially as well.

And currect trends are showing that this might not be the case.

I think you are mistaken for several reasons but I don't want to derail the thread.

 

[Peskanov]

I think these two options should be combined:

• Extinction due to war - We blow ourselves up, gas ourselves, release a virulent bioweapon, what have you. Any form of extinction which results from violent confrontation.

• Extinction due to technological catastrophe - That black hole we created in the lab doesn't seem like such a bright idea now, does it??

...because the creation of superweapons is the real danger. It doesn't matter what triggers the weapon after all, a war or terrorism or error or whatever.
In the cuba crisis we nearly started an atomic warm, but atomic weapons are very expensive and quite rare.
Nanotechnology, biotechnology, are much more powerful than atomic weapons by far. A well designed nano-bug could destroy a whole biosphere without much problem. The destructive options of artificial life forms are infinite. And the cost of creating and producing them, are very much like computers and software: the real cost is VERY cheap. One day computing technology seemed only avalaible for superpowers. Today anybody has yesterday's supercomputer in his desk. Also software is cheaper every day.
The hardware and software tools needed to manipulate the nanotechnology realm are expensive today, but potentially they could reach near free status.
I reckon I think we will not pass this test. Mankind is still very inmature to handle such tools.

 

[DaChew]

The Fighting Marvins from the Martian City Reagantown will win Super Bowl MMMDXXV. (They will beat the spread).