Would you support the construction of a ship to carry humanity to another solar system to save humanity from extinction? (humans, society)
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Here is one of my favorite videos. It's about how humanity might behave if a neutron star were to come close enough to Earth to destroy it. This is not an impossible scenario, because neutron stars are frequently flung from the supernovas that create them through space as interstellar wrecking balls.
You don't need to watch the video to answer the following question. I just think it's more entertaining than most movies and has to do with the topic.
In the video humanity has 75 years before a neutron star destroys Earth. Various governments decide to begin working on a project to evacuate a small percentage of the population from Earth to another solar system. In this scenario other planets in our solar system are unsafe too.
In this scenario none of us have the skills to be researchers or do any of the more skilled labor associated with the project. We can't even help as assembly line workers in factories creating parts for the project because those positions have already been filled. The only way we can be of direct assistance is through spreading awareness of the project, educating people about it, and donating to it. None of us have the ideal genetics for our descendants to be likely passengers either. There will not be room on the spacecraft for the extreme majority of humanity. Maybe a few thousand, or tens of thousands, or at most hundreds of thousands could be saved.
We are reasonably sure we can complete the project before Earth is destroyed, and we know of a more or less habitable alternative solar system our descendants could flee too.
Would you support the project? Here are some potential reactions I can think of:
1. This is a stupid project. We'll spend trillions of dollars attempting to save a few thousand people seventy-five years from now. Imagine all the people who could be kept from starving with that money. We could actually save more people if we did not attempt this project. We need to protest this project.
2. This is a stupid project. Life and death are incomparable, in that we can't say life is better than death. This is just going to put people through much unnecessary stress and the survivors could very plausibly be miserable. The project is just humanity perpetuating a cycle of misery because we're so afraid of dying we want to feel like someone is continuing our legacy...and that's selfish. That's not even being selfish in a way that's beneficial for us now. That's just stealing happiness from our descendants because a primitive part of our brain thinks it will continue our lives. The human species will end 75 years from now...and that's not as bad a thing as it seems like. Everyone will die at approximately the same time. No one will be left behind to mourn, and we all have to go sometime anyway. We need to protest this project and let humanity fade away in peace.
3. We need to protest this project because life is definitely worse than death, particularly human life. I don't want us spreading the disease called humanity to new worlds. I don't want people to suffer...but the neutron star destroying Earth won't result in people suffering for long. Humanity being destroyed all at once by this neutron star is the best possible future for our species.
4. I don't like the project. I see it as causing more harm than good...but the human urge to continue the species is too strong to be stopped in most people. I support this project only because it will inevitably be attempted, regardless of what makes sense, so we might as well make it easy to accomplish as possible by supporting it.
5. I don't particularly care whether the human species is preserved or not. I partially agree with the above speakers because life is overrated...but we need some kind of unifying goal to keep society from falling into anarchy. That's why I like this project. Some people are skilled at gracefully accepting their fate. Many people are not though. This project should calm many people who are not. Most of those people will not have descendants who are passengers on this craft we use to escape Earth...but they'll have a goal for humanity to look forward too, and they'll have a sense of the preservation of their legacy. All I really care about is avoiding anarchy. This project is the key to that.
6. I like this project largely because I am a eugenist. I'd like to rid humanity of dangerous cultures for the same reason I'd like to rid humanity of harmful genetics. I take no joy in the deaths of billions of people...but if there is nothing can be done about the approaching neutron star, the lives of the genetically superior people we send away could be better than our own over the long run because of their superior genetics and so we might as well make use of this chance, given that we can't rescue all of humanity anyway. Survivors could be easily educated in science and philosophy, history and useful knowledge due to their low numbers in close proximity to each other, and this would lead to the removal of dangerous cultures driven by superstition as well.
7. I like this project because of all the potential wonders that await humanity in the future. We finally have something to motivate us to get us off this rock. I take no joy in the suffering of others, but the survivors will have access to technological wonders our ancestors never dreamed of, and their descendants will quite possibly have access to much greater wonders. This is our chance to propel humanity into greatness.
8. I like this project because I want to preserve a piece of humanity. I want humanity to survive, though most of its people won't. We have an opportunity to embark on the greatest adventure humanity has ever attempted, and we must take advantage of that.
I'd support it in some way. At least I wouldn't actively protest against it. I'd prefer for humanity to spread throughout the stars, if possible. The same part of my brain that wants to throw wet rocks in fires to watch them explode wants it to happen. It's not a rational part of my brain...but it has such a strong urge for that, it's going to convince me humanity colonizing the stars is a good idea whether it is or not.
I feel like every day what makes life worth living the most are these passions we feel...and I see the continuation of the human species and the exploration of new worlds as something that would likely impassion people. The prospect of humanity spreading the stars, even if you and I are not going to the stars ourselves might make existence more worthwhile for us. I think it would for me. If I knew humanity was going to go extinct in 75 years, I'd find that depressing. I don't think it matters why I'd find that depressing...because I'd suspect at least for awhile I'd find it depressing regardless of why.
I would support the building of the spacecraft...and I'd probably support your tax dollars funding some of it. I'd look at it like...if we don't attempt something this cool, what's the point of even getting up in the morning, when just about everything else we do is so drastically less cool?
Common people would not get to "vote" on this, those in power would decide and yes they would jump on the project immediately, maybe it's already started :-O
It would not be very pleasant to live through those years. People would stop paying taxes, most of daily life would be disrupted and support systems dropped, people would stop obeying laws because why. Nations who don't like us may get trigger-happy with nukes because why not try and kill us off while they still have the chance. It would just be a terrible time so I hope if it ever happens the astronomers and scientists who see it coming keep it quiet until the end.
Yes I agree with attempting to save humankind (#8)
Common people would not get to "vote" on this, those in power would decide and yes they would jump on the project immediately, maybe it's already started :-O
It would not be very pleasant to live through those years. People would stop paying taxes, most of daily life would be disrupted and support systems dropped, people would stop obeying laws because why. Nations who don't like us may get trigger-happy with nukes because why not try and kill us off while they still have the chance. It would just be a terrible time so I hope if it ever happens the astronomers and scientists who see it coming keep it quiet until the end.
Yes I agree with attempting to save humankind (#8)
I'm mostly a #8 person too. Maybe we could even save a non-negligible percentage of humanity. I have my doubts...but perhaps it's possible. We'd have 75 years. That's a lot of time, and wonders might be accomplished in that time. I think we should at least try.
Even if it's impossible to rescue any more than a small percentage of humanity...I'd still go for it. I don't know if humanity is better of extinct or not...but if we go extinct now, we'll never know. Maybe our descendants would be smart enough to figure it out and prove it, and if they determine humanity is better off extinct they can off themselves then.
Well, sometimes I wonder if the world wouldn't be better off without humans...at our worst we are selfish, dirty, polluting, evil minded beings that destroy and kill without much provocation - because we want the horn on an animals head because we think it could be an aphrodisiac, or we want the ivory for trinkets...or because we covet the fur on the animals backs. Or some sad cruel trophy.
Corporations and the powers that be have pumped out toxins and pollution that is destroying our planet all for our love of the false man made creation of money. Man can be so selfish, vain, corrupt...that yeah the world would probably be much better off without us. (But yet, when you think humanity is totally lacking in any goodness or kindness, any redeeming quality whatsoever, then something comes along and takes you so aback with the goodness, and beauty that somehow comes from man also.)
Yes. I think I would agree that we would have to build the ship.
Here is one of my favorite videos. It's about how humanity might behave if a neutron star were to come close enough to Earth to destroy it. This is not an impossible scenario, because neutron stars are frequently flung from the supernovas that create them through space as interstellar wrecking balls.
You don't need to watch the video to answer the following question. I just think it's more entertaining than most movies and has to do with the topic.
In the video humanity has 75 years before a neutron star destroys Earth. Various governments decide to begin working on a project to evacuate a small percentage of the population from Earth to another solar system. In this scenario other planets in our solar system are unsafe too.
In this scenario none of us have the skills to be researchers or do any of the more skilled labor associated with the project. We can't even help as assembly line workers in factories creating parts for the project because those positions have already been filled. The only way we can be of direct assistance is through spreading awareness of the project, educating people about it, and donating to it. None of us have the ideal genetics for our descendants to be likely passengers either. There will not be room on the spacecraft for the extreme majority of humanity. Maybe a few thousand, or tens of thousands, or at most hundreds of thousands could be saved.
We are reasonably sure we can complete the project before Earth is destroyed, and we know of a more or less habitable alternative solar system our descendants could flee too.
shoot lead cans of poop in all directions with virus or bacteria. That is all that is needed.
But, I predict we make the next life form in 200 years or less. don't worry about extintion, like death, it is an illusion due to lack of understanding. Most times that is. DNA is the blue print.
I don't think a ship would work, you would need to build a spacecraft with enough thrust to escape the gravitational pull of the earth.
assemble it in space.
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