Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: TweetyBird on July 31, 2004, 10:38:27 PM
-
If you could snap your finger and free all the people in the world living under tyranny and give them the same standard of living as the average US ctizen, would you?
Could the resources of the world support that?
If not - how long would it take technology to develope a means of supporting the burden?
For every junior miss contestant, when you say you want "world peace" - could we afford it?
-
There's absolutely no way.
But no matter where it left me, and if it'd mean having to ditch my Volvo and Ipod, I'd sign up for that in a second.
-
It will never happen, even every human was on a level playing field standard of living wise there would be war again.
People are not just fighting over their standard of living.
-
>>People are not just fighting over their standard of living.
<<
But what are we gonna do about China? All those people are rapidly comming into the 21st century and raising their standard of living at an obscene pace. Its the fastest growing economy in the world. The demand part of suply and demand is about to get much greater. Its going to drive our costs up and could produce shortages of world resources. Wonder why no one discusses the effect of the escalating standard of living in China is going to have on the rest of the world?
-
nope they tried it once and they lost entire crops of humans. The Matrix has to have some caos in order for human presance to strive.
-
first we need a meteor crash killing 99% of humans on earth, then maybe an "world peace" is possible ;)
actually i dont think it will work, to many arrogant nations
who only look for theyr own standard of living.
R
Gh0stFT
-
Do they give extra points for using "arrogant" in a sentence in European schools?
-
Originally posted by Toad
Euopean
U a pee on :rofl
-
Thankee kindly, schoolmarm.
-
Originally posted by Toad
Thankee kindly, schoolmarm.
Lol, sorry Toad, but it struck me funny. Wife keeps asking me why I am laughing:aok
-
“Suffering” is not necessarily a bad thing. Conflict and struggle and violence are a part of the human world just like they are every where else the universe. There's nothing unique about simply existing. Those things which give meaning to a people’s life ultimately lead to conflict between those with differing views. Some things are nonnegotiable
Suffering builds character and inspires the creative spirit etc...
World peace can not exist unless all people are homogenized.
Speaking from my own view there's somethings I will never accept. There's no way I would "go along just to get along".
Somethings are worth fighting and killing for and if necessary sacrificing for. We all aren't the same and we all don't want the same things
-
Malthus was wrong. He'll be wrong in the future too.
-
>>Suffering” is not necessarily a bad thing.<<
Gota agree there. Societies stuggling (think of the depression era), are less materialistic and rely more on morality.
Seems once you let in one of deadly sin (e.g., gluttony) they all come storming in.
-
World Peace will only be achieved under a Dictator, and the end of War does not mean the end of Death or Injustice.
-
I'm sorry but by definition suffering is a bad thing.
I'd go even further and say suffering pushes many people to extreme action rather than creative endevour. (i bet your average middle eastern terrorism has endured a lot more than your average european or north american)
It is easy to romantisize the concept of struggle and overcoming the odds but i would not characterize that as suffering but rather as not having everything handed to you on a plate.
-
World peace is justa WW3 waiting to happen.
-
If steps are not taken to reduce the world's population growth we will end up eating each other.
Certain "experts" over the years have said that the earth is capable of sustaining a much larger population if the resources are properly utilized. That may be so but at what cost to the environment? Must we reach the point where the only land areas not under the plow are on the mountain peaks?
The current standard of living of the United States will become unsustainable if our own population continues to grow and we cannot control the immigration problem.
The Chinese government has policies in place limiting families to having only one child. The methods used to enforce these policies have been condemned as violations of human rights...but what measures will other governments take as the world's human population climbs toward 10 billion?
A world-wide population control plan might be one step...but there are many nations that would refuse to cooperate.
So what solutions are viable?
-
The rapid developement of China is going to test us very soon.
Within 5 years their consumption of world resources is expected to equal that of the United States.
Edit BTW - I went to fact check that 5 year thing ( I remember it from a documetary I saw on the industrialization of China) but you would be suprised how little information is available on the net regarding individual coutries consumption of world resources.
If anyone finds a good source/link - please post it.
-
Originally posted by Shuckins
we will end up eating each other.
We already do that. ;)
-
Oh, yah... back on topic.
The end is near! The end is near! Repent! Repent!
We're dooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOO OOoooooooomed!
DOOMED I say! DOOMED!
and, uh....
The sky is falling! The SKY is FALLING!
There, continue.
-
Yea, Toad, that added much:aok
I feel blessed :D
I bet that position saves you a lot of work :0
Heck, you could use that iron clad rebuttle on subjects such as antibiotic resistant bacteria, mercury poisoning, ageing infrastucture, insane litigation, and a decline in educational standards. Hell - you never have to read another book!
You go Toad!
-
Nah, you go! Etch.
And when you get there and figure out just how you're going to handle this "CHINA IS GONNA SUCK UP THE ENTIRE WORLD'S RESOURCES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" problem, do post the answer.
See, I figure when the asteroid is about to hit the earth we'll either figure out how to deal with that (well, Bruce Willis will probably solve the problem) or we'll all die. But MY worrying about it now won't change the asteroid's course and won't provide a solution.
But I have full confidence in YOUR ability to worry about an energy-gobbling China, antibiotic resistant bacteria, mercury poisoning, ageing infrastucture, insane litigation, and a decline in educational standards right now. So, you go ahead and do the worrying for both of us.
Thanks!
-
Oh, and don't forget to expense your worrying on your 1040!
-
>>So, you go ahead and do the worrying for both of us. <<
Worrying is a useless expense of energy. Discussing is not. So - what are ya doing? - oh thats right - demonstrating you are incapable of discussing. That's ok - you do have games :D
-
This just in. Malthus still wrong.
-
Mother nature will do her job.
Population outgrows resources... catastrophe will trim population down.
Of course mother nature is never pleasant about the way she works. She even frequently allows species to become extinct.
Darwin quoted her once, something about "survival of the fittest".
If we don't balance our resources through logical and rational means, the forces of nature will do it for us :p
But simply reducing the population would never work. It has only taken us only a few thousand years to get into this situation. Humanity has to fundamentally change its goals and means of achieving them. History tells me that such a change is very unlikely whereas extinction is very likely.
Will humans beat the odds? I doubt it. My only hope is that I don't see the magic bubble the USA allows me to live in collapse before I die. Recent events make me question whether even that will be possible.
-
Originally posted by streakeagle
Mother nature will do her job.
Population outgrows resources... catastrophe will trim population down.
Of course mother nature is never pleasant about the way she works. She even frequently allows species to become extinct.
Darwin quoted her once, something about "survival of the fittest".
If we don't balance our resources through logical and rational means, the forces of nature will do it for us :p
But simply reducing the population would never work. It has only taken us only a few thousand years to get into this situation. Humanity has to fundamentally change its goals and means of achieving them. History tells me that such a change is very unlikely whereas extinction is very likely.
Will humans beat the odds? I doubt it. My only hope is that I don't see the magic bubble the USA allows me to live in collapse before I die. Recent events make me question whether even that will be possible.
Funked addressed all that
This just in. Malthus still wrong.
Technology will find away to address to problems of resources, that’s well under way now. The problems of regional competition over resources by the 3rd world and those nations who don't have the technology and capital to develop new resources will always remain in conflict.
-
The only balance technology will bring is through mass extermination. Our best form of environmentalism is still extremely damaging to our atmosphere and land - recycling.
-SW
-
"Environmentalism" is yet fully understood.
All the kooky doomsday theories about global warming and the like are just scare tactics used by certain groups to maintain funding.
Technology is advancing and it’s just a matter of time before the effects of industrialization are reversed.
-
Oh yeah Wotan, I agree - especially about global warming. I'm sure you know about the Ice Age cycle and how there is a gradual warming before it begins, and we're about due for one. That could very well debunk the whole global warming due to CFCs deal.
But, technology can only do so much. Today the world is at its highest in terms of population and it is growing exponentially every years. Now, we are seeing anti-biotics failing against diseases and seeing more diseases immune to our medicines. Also, diseases appear to be mutating at a higher rate than before (influenza for example).
Its just interesting that perhaps theres a natural fall back to over population, in that things are kept in check despite all of our technology.
Just an opinion of course.
-SW
-
Originally posted by TweetyBird
Discussing is not.
Like I said, go ahead and worry, discuss and cogitate to your little heart's content.
Drop us all a line here when you figure out how to solve that "CHINESE ARE USING UP ALL THE ENERGY!!!!!!!!!!" problem, ok?
I'm sure you'll have the answer in another 25 posts or so.
-
Whats the matter Toad? Not enough fiber in your diet?
-SW
-
I've got plenty of fiber since I learned to expense it on my 1040!!!
-
You can do that now? Damn, big money here I come!
-SW