Do you think the next generation of humans will make an impact on Earth? Or will they just cluck everything up like we did?

Nah, we're all skrewed.

I believe that we are changing the world for the better everyday, but I think this generation of humans was imbred with so much pessimism towards our common man that it is sickening. Too many people sit on their ass and complain about things and they rarely do a thing to change it. I take action, when I want change, I try to initiate it, it it is not meant to be then that is that, but I atleast still try. I think the next generation will prosper because it is the human drive that keeps us going. It really does sadden me how many kids my age would rather just give up than try and make the world a better place.

Nah the goverment will be earth's downfall.*cough* Illuminati. I believe they are real. If they are evil as many say they are than its just a matter of time till they make their move.

No no no, the Illuminati won't get here in time, the aliens will have whiped us out by then.


(Psst, I'm mocking you)

The government will not be our downfall, American citizens will not let the government walk all over us, we've proven that many, many, many times before.

Well basiclly the downfall of mankind will be, well, mandkind.
Well thats what i believe.

Mankind has the power to thrive. But at the same time they have the power(well now) to obliterate countries and states.

I didn't mean to offend by the comment if I did. Mankind is it's own worst enemy, I agree. It's also it's best ally. We need to start having a brighter outlook for the future, we're resiliant creatures, we can overcome anything.

Well where are we headed, to total chaos. Lets look at the war in Iraq, many of our soldiers died. There was no weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein should've been imprisoned. There are far more worse dictators than him, take a look in africa. They are saying you can't change the way they think no matter what you do. After that fiasco with iraq our buddy country North Korea points WOMD(weapons of mass destruction) at us and tell us to do something.

Besides that have you taken a look at the world, the more chaos in the news, overpaid athletes, our economy. Its getting worser everyday. I wouldn't be suprised if drugs got legalized and McDonalds start using it instead of Transfat in our foods.

Well I'm still of the opinion that life is pretty cyclic, and that history continuously repeats itself just in different ways. Of course I also have a pretty firm belief in the balance of everything (nothing created or destroyed just changed). Each generation has had it's slackers, pessimists, and malcontent and it also has it's optimists, heroes, and hard workers. Also another thing you must pay attention to is the fact that every aspect of our lives is now under scrutiny and publicized a lot more (lots of things we see happening now have happened in the past, they just were not logged and not generally known about). This leads many to think we're doomed now, and that things are so much different now than they used to be. I personally think things have been about the same since a little after the dawn of civilization, just in previous times there has not been as much knowledge of it (plus the media tends to focus on the negative most of the time, while the positive things get the last 5 minutes of the newscast).

So I think the next generation will have just as much impact as any other generation has, maybe a little less, maybe a little more but not too far off. I think in general the next generation will make the world better as they are now more informed than ever about the big picture of the world around them and have a better perspective on their impact on it. For all these negative things people bring up we are also doing a lot of positive things than we were doing in the past as we learn more about general health, how the environment works, and how we interact through the massive media presence. The internet itself has proved a useful tool for us to learn about each other and our interests and gain knowledge we would otherwise not have been able to obtained, making us likely the most informed citizenry ever. Of course the internet is also full of porn, other useless information and misinformation. Once again we see balance in action.

So though things may seem extreme in the small scale but we usually see these large shifts minimized to barely a step in one direction or another when put against history. So I don't think we're any closer to doom than we have been in the past (Black Death, widespread colonization, and various other dark periods of history). Of course no one knows what will happen till it does, but this is what I think.

Just for future references, contradictory statements while interesting, really don't tell us anything. Saying one thing is something, and also the exact opposite just brings us back to square one of really knowing nothing about that thing. We must qualify these statements in some way or at least draw out which contradictory attribute we think would win out.

In addition government is what gives us some kind of order in our society. It is typically the reflection of the feelings and ideas of the majority of the people. Without government we are forced into anarchy, as without consequence many will not do what they should but what they want.

That depends on which government you mean. Just look at iraq, africa, north korea and other's goverments. F*cked up.

Well I jumped into this thread ready for some gun blazing action. But ummmm ya. Apparently thetruecoolness has his name for a reason cause now I've got nothing left to say.

I'll end the world before the next generation comes in.

I firmly believe in Global Warming. ^__^ eventually that ice flow is going to break off and freeze us all to death, or drown the world. It'll be great.

unless the lag from certain moving graphics doesn't kill us first... >_____>

Lol..All I gotta say to the ^ is look at Skara Brae and The Downs.

Kitty Genovese

Sorry Regal. Not genovese syndrome here. I will admit that humanity has drastically increased the co2 level as well as many other problems. But the is no real proof that this isn't a natural trend.

And I'm not a bystander. I leave no lights on. I only run water when I need it. I carpool as much as often. I recycle. And you can borrow a cup of sugar anytime. And if I see you on the road injured I'd save you life

heh...

i offered it only as something to think about.

there's also the idea that everyone serves themselves, even in altruism. which always struck me as bloody stupid, but i guess that's not the point, since many people believe it. Genovese is generally taken as a classic modern-day example of the phenomenon amongst psychologists.

^_^ because however nice it would be if everyone was nice, it's not coincidental that Genovese syndrome exists and is recognised as a genuine and often occuring phenomenon. ^^;

and that ^ was far more than i planned to type.

I have that affect. Lol. Ya I know genovese syndrome happens. I just don't want people to think that's how I feel about global warming. I just really honestly feel that it's just a global trend.

ooh.

for topical reading, head to the Book Club.

in creativity ^_________^

My name is chosen for that exact purpose, I even have an explanation of it on my site .

As for altruism being selfish and greedy, it is to some point as most people do it to get the satisfaction of helping their fellow man because that is what made them happy. If they got no feeling of joy out of it they would likely do it (or sense of duty, or whatever they get out of it). Though this is debatable before you start you should first consider the question is greed and selfishness always such a bad thing. While they do typically lead to 'bad' things for the general public, in this case the 'selfish' desire to feel better after helping someone else helps to promote good things in the society as a whole.

As for the genovese syndrome (first time I've head it referred to as that) yeah it's pretty apparent but it's also a derivative of Western culture in general. We all believe our selves as individuals and proclaim the power of the individual as absolute (or pretty close to it) one person can change the world and all deal. Unlike Eastern cultures where it's the community that is the all powerful being and conformity is celebrated and not dismissed as it is here. Once again the word balance comes to mind (funny how that works). So being engrossed in only one's own life is not better for the 'greater good' most of the time, neither is being a complete conformist and always helping the group at the expense of oneself.

And all words quoted are quoted for a reason, as I personally believe right and wrong, good and bad to be nothing more than social constructs that evolve as society evolves. So what is right, or good to one can be the exact opposite to the other. There might be absolutes out there, but I personally believe that neither actually exist, in their pure form things just exist, and are neither good or bad, like objects. Objects are neither good nor bad, only their use can be classified as such. We like to project these ideas onto objects as we think that their original intention is what determines their ultimate use, but this is not always the case, and might not even be the majority of the use cases of this object.

So for all we know if we destroyed the planet maybe it would usher in a rebirth of the planet into something much better than it was before. So do I think we're killing the planet, sure, but haven't we been doing it for centuries in that constant competition we call survival. Everything on the earth is in a greedy competition for survival, only in a select few situations are two species needs so mutually exclusive both can continuously multiply and prosper without any need to destroy the other.

But while we might be destroying it, I have a little more faith in humanity as a whole than to think we'll keep going until there is nothing left. Though I don't know if anyone will have the guts to implement population control (besides China ). That's the big problem we face, overcrowding. Stopping won't solve all the problems, cause we don't know if our greed is instinctual or learned, but it would help. There is a limit to how many of any given creature can exist, the question becomes will it stave off to a appropriate number when the limit is reached, or will something more drastic happen to balance it.

Hurray for rambling, but maybe it will spark new discussion, or just more one line rebuttals. Either way...