The Most Prophetic warning of our time?
- Thread starter Joseph C.
- Start date
flip_normal
100 W
That's exactly the fatalistic feudal attitude which the Enlightenment fought to overcome by placing man at the centre of the world. Worryingly it's this misanthropic environmentalist/climate alarmist fear which the political elite are promoting as a way of securing a last vestige of authority.dumbluck said:
MikeFairbanks
100 kW
It's hard for me to imagine the human race becoming extinct. There are several reasons, some which are science-based and some faith-based.
1. For me, it's a matter of faith that humans were designed (created). I believe in God and creation, but I am not one who claims to know the exact method by which God creates or His timeline. In other words, I am not a disbeliever in evolution. I support the theory with the personal understanding that it isn't a complete theory. I also believe in the Big Bang theory, but again that theory is incomplete.
2. I don't think humans can or ever will solve every mystery. Each time we learn something new, it simply creates more questions. But it sure is fun to try.
Science:
Humans and mice are the most successful mammals in the history of the planet, and that is due to the six factors that are needed for life (I teach this every year). The six factors are:
1. A living thing must take in energy. Plants absorb sunlight, water and nutrients, while everything else on the planet eats. Like mice, humans will eat just about anything, to the point that we actually will let vegetable and fruit juice rot on purpose so we can drink it.
2. A living thing uses that energy. This is different than number one in that a rock takes in (absorbs) energy, as does water and a desert highway. However, that rock does not utilize the energy. It is emitted back into the atmosphere or transferred through the soil. We plants and animals actually process and use the energy we absorb or consume.
3. A living thing produces waste. Plants make oxygen and we make carbon dioxide, along with liquid and solid waste.
4. A living thing grows.
5. A living thing reproduces (in terms of its species....this is important because some organisms don't reproduce well. Examples are the panda and the T-Rex...The T-Rex often died before reaching sexual maturity. It wasn't efficient enough. Humans, in the last two hundred years, have learned to keep their kids alive well into maturity. We may only have one or two at a time, but the survival rate is high. Mice reproduce so often that you can have several generations per year).
6. A living thing (in order to survive) must adapt to its environment. This is huge, and is why humans (and mice) are so successful.
Expanding on this last point, consider geese, whales, zebras, etc. Many of these animals must migrate because of climate. If they can't, then they die. And when considering the basic needs of all living things (water, air, shelter, etc.), the most common causes of extinction are climate and loss of habitat.
Some animals adapt to their environment physically (shedding, growth of fur, hibernation, migration, etc.). Even humans can do this to a certain degree (calluses, beards, increased muscle growth).
But humans have behavioral adaptations that are amazing. We can control our immediate climate (heating our homes, wearing extra clothing), and we'll eat anything. In fact, the only thing with legs that a human won't eat is a table.
Given the fact that we can eat anything, can live in any environment (except Antarctica), grow our own food (no other animal can do that and no dinosaur ever did), we're pretty darn resilient.
Although many species have come and gone throughout the last 500 million years, none has been so able to control its own survival than the human being. I think that the only thing that can destroy us (other than God) is nuclear holocaust or disease. And I'm not sure those last two would destroy our species.
I think we're here to stay.
The question then becomes how many human beings can the planet sustain? I thought I read somewhere that the planet can only sustain about 2 billion people.
And that makes sense, because 80% of the world lives in poverty.
1. For me, it's a matter of faith that humans were designed (created). I believe in God and creation, but I am not one who claims to know the exact method by which God creates or His timeline. In other words, I am not a disbeliever in evolution. I support the theory with the personal understanding that it isn't a complete theory. I also believe in the Big Bang theory, but again that theory is incomplete.
2. I don't think humans can or ever will solve every mystery. Each time we learn something new, it simply creates more questions. But it sure is fun to try.
Science:
Humans and mice are the most successful mammals in the history of the planet, and that is due to the six factors that are needed for life (I teach this every year). The six factors are:
1. A living thing must take in energy. Plants absorb sunlight, water and nutrients, while everything else on the planet eats. Like mice, humans will eat just about anything, to the point that we actually will let vegetable and fruit juice rot on purpose so we can drink it.
2. A living thing uses that energy. This is different than number one in that a rock takes in (absorbs) energy, as does water and a desert highway. However, that rock does not utilize the energy. It is emitted back into the atmosphere or transferred through the soil. We plants and animals actually process and use the energy we absorb or consume.
3. A living thing produces waste. Plants make oxygen and we make carbon dioxide, along with liquid and solid waste.
4. A living thing grows.
5. A living thing reproduces (in terms of its species....this is important because some organisms don't reproduce well. Examples are the panda and the T-Rex...The T-Rex often died before reaching sexual maturity. It wasn't efficient enough. Humans, in the last two hundred years, have learned to keep their kids alive well into maturity. We may only have one or two at a time, but the survival rate is high. Mice reproduce so often that you can have several generations per year).
6. A living thing (in order to survive) must adapt to its environment. This is huge, and is why humans (and mice) are so successful.
Expanding on this last point, consider geese, whales, zebras, etc. Many of these animals must migrate because of climate. If they can't, then they die. And when considering the basic needs of all living things (water, air, shelter, etc.), the most common causes of extinction are climate and loss of habitat.
Some animals adapt to their environment physically (shedding, growth of fur, hibernation, migration, etc.). Even humans can do this to a certain degree (calluses, beards, increased muscle growth).
But humans have behavioral adaptations that are amazing. We can control our immediate climate (heating our homes, wearing extra clothing), and we'll eat anything. In fact, the only thing with legs that a human won't eat is a table.
Given the fact that we can eat anything, can live in any environment (except Antarctica), grow our own food (no other animal can do that and no dinosaur ever did), we're pretty darn resilient.
Although many species have come and gone throughout the last 500 million years, none has been so able to control its own survival than the human being. I think that the only thing that can destroy us (other than God) is nuclear holocaust or disease. And I'm not sure those last two would destroy our species.
I think we're here to stay.
The question then becomes how many human beings can the planet sustain? I thought I read somewhere that the planet can only sustain about 2 billion people.
And that makes sense, because 80% of the world lives in poverty.
The only reason we can feed so many people with so little land is that we're using oil and petroleum products like crazy in agriculture.
Remove that and suddenly we need a crapton more land. Cities won't work anymore. White people will have to farm again. The horror!
Ever notice that oil prices are linked to food prices?
Remove that and suddenly we need a crapton more land. Cities won't work anymore. White people will have to farm again. The horror!
Ever notice that oil prices are linked to food prices?
MikeFairbanks
100 kW
neptronix said:
Ya hit the nail on the head there.
And another interesting fact: It is literally impossible for every human on the planet to have the same standard of living as the average American.
I'm with Mike on this one.
The one thing we don't talk about is population decline. I think we will hit peek pop. in 2030-2035 and then the factors are all going to change. Think about it 2030 is not that far off. 20 years from know we can start planning on how to improve the lives of the poorest as the population decreases.
Time is the FUNNY factor in most arguments. Everyone talks about global warming, extinction and what ever other event that is about to destroy humanity like it will happen in there life time or their children's but nothing changes that fast. Everything changes and life adapts. its not worth getting depressed about. You will leave your life on this earth long before your view of the ideal planet does.
Might as well continue my rant.
We haven't USED UP our resources nothing of significance has left the planet its all still here. Maybe re arranged or altered but that's just matter of energy usage. I see no shortage of energy in our future as long as the sun shines.
We can argue about what may be the best way to manage the planet but to state that it is getting destroyed or ruined is only true from your point of view. I promise the planet will still be here and it will contain life a million years from now.
The one thing we don't talk about is population decline. I think we will hit peek pop. in 2030-2035 and then the factors are all going to change. Think about it 2030 is not that far off. 20 years from know we can start planning on how to improve the lives of the poorest as the population decreases.
Time is the FUNNY factor in most arguments. Everyone talks about global warming, extinction and what ever other event that is about to destroy humanity like it will happen in there life time or their children's but nothing changes that fast. Everything changes and life adapts. its not worth getting depressed about. You will leave your life on this earth long before your view of the ideal planet does.
Might as well continue my rant.
We haven't USED UP our resources nothing of significance has left the planet its all still here. Maybe re arranged or altered but that's just matter of energy usage. I see no shortage of energy in our future as long as the sun shines.
We can argue about what may be the best way to manage the planet but to state that it is getting destroyed or ruined is only true from your point of view. I promise the planet will still be here and it will contain life a million years from now.
MikeFairbanks said:
I totally agree with that. For every white person living a high quality of life, there is a colored ( yellow, brown, black, whatever ) person working their asses off for next to nothing, having their land polluted and destroyed, and living in craphole of a house.
Now the western world VS India and China are equalizing with us to some degree and we have even handed them a lot of our middle class jobs.
I really think there are only so many non-farm jobs to go around.
The double whammy of higher oil costs and the effects of climate change just add the cherry on top of this bile sundae.
MikeFairbanks
100 kW
I don't look at it as a skin color or race thing.
Sure, the white race has done really well the last 500 years, and I readily admit that many of our ancestors did some horrible things to get ahead. What Americans and Europeans did to Africans and Native Americans is inexcusable.
But at one point the white race was scrounging the ground in the far north and living in caves. Weird how things change like that.
Everything changes so fast.
Who knows what the next five hundred years will bring.
Sure, the white race has done really well the last 500 years, and I readily admit that many of our ancestors did some horrible things to get ahead. What Americans and Europeans did to Africans and Native Americans is inexcusable.
But at one point the white race was scrounging the ground in the far north and living in caves. Weird how things change like that.
Everything changes so fast.
Who knows what the next five hundred years will bring.
No kidding..
I suppose i overgeneralized, i don't mean white people as a race, just people living in what is considered western society ( mostly white folk ).
There is a lot of hidden exploitation that provides the quality of life that we have.
Not that i mind it, it's just that it seems like it's coming to an end, very slowly, and painfully.
I suppose i overgeneralized, i don't mean white people as a race, just people living in what is considered western society ( mostly white folk ).
There is a lot of hidden exploitation that provides the quality of life that we have.
Not that i mind it, it's just that it seems like it's coming to an end, very slowly, and painfully.
MikeFairbanks
100 kW
Dictionary time.
Be right back.
Be right back.
MikeFairbanks
100 kW
Oh crap.
See what I mean? You learn something new and it opens up a ton of questions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panentheism
Very interesting stuff.
I see God as separate from the universe in that he created the universe from nothing, and all in it are of his creation. I don't discount the possibility that He allows things to develop (evolve) in their own way, naturally. But then, I find it hard to believe that anything could surprise God.
See what I mean? You learn something new and it opens up a ton of questions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panentheism
Very interesting stuff.
I see God as separate from the universe in that he created the universe from nothing, and all in it are of his creation. I don't discount the possibility that He allows things to develop (evolve) in their own way, naturally. But then, I find it hard to believe that anything could surprise God.
MikeFairbanks
100 kW
The thing about God is that we humans try to understand Him beyond the simple Biblical explanations, and we simply don't have the intelligence necessary to reach out very far.
There are so many unknowns.
Here's one: The universe, during the big bang, actually expanded faster than the speed of light allows. Humans don't quite know how that's possible.
As far as we know, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. The universe is 13 billion years old (Wikipedia) but has a diameter (observable) of 46 billion light years. Somehow the universe is four times bigger than the speed of light allows. The universe should be slightly less than 13 billion light years in diameter.
Therefore, Einstein's theory, although proven correct countless times, has been broken.
Newton's laws of motion, which can be mathematically calculated perfectly (hence, you can build a roller coaster in which you bring the train to the proper height, and it can ride out the track successfully every time), cannot explain motion that breaks those laws.
God still has the drop on us.
Keep in mind, however, that magic is entirely real. What seems completely normal to us is magic to the past.
In other words, if you had a walkie talkie at one end of Philadelphia, and gave the other to Ben Franklin, you'd probably have the town ready to declare you a witch, even though they hadn't really gone after witches in a hundred years, and you would most likely be dangling from a rope for your black magic.
Here's another thought they never bring up in time travel movies: Everything is in motion. If you went back in time five minutes, wouldn't you be thousands of miles away from earth, out in space (and instantly dead)?
The earth is not only rotating 1000mph at the surface, but is moving even faster than that as it revolves around the sun. It's moving at a speed of 66700 mph through space.
Divide that by 12 (for a five-minute time travel) and you should find yourself about 5000 miles away, giving you a fantastic ten-second view of our beautiful planet before you lost consciousness.
Michael J. Fox somehow traveled back in time thirty years AND found the correct spot in space.
There are so many unknowns.
Here's one: The universe, during the big bang, actually expanded faster than the speed of light allows. Humans don't quite know how that's possible.
As far as we know, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. The universe is 13 billion years old (Wikipedia) but has a diameter (observable) of 46 billion light years. Somehow the universe is four times bigger than the speed of light allows. The universe should be slightly less than 13 billion light years in diameter.
Therefore, Einstein's theory, although proven correct countless times, has been broken.
Newton's laws of motion, which can be mathematically calculated perfectly (hence, you can build a roller coaster in which you bring the train to the proper height, and it can ride out the track successfully every time), cannot explain motion that breaks those laws.
God still has the drop on us.
Keep in mind, however, that magic is entirely real. What seems completely normal to us is magic to the past.
In other words, if you had a walkie talkie at one end of Philadelphia, and gave the other to Ben Franklin, you'd probably have the town ready to declare you a witch, even though they hadn't really gone after witches in a hundred years, and you would most likely be dangling from a rope for your black magic.
Here's another thought they never bring up in time travel movies: Everything is in motion. If you went back in time five minutes, wouldn't you be thousands of miles away from earth, out in space (and instantly dead)?
The earth is not only rotating 1000mph at the surface, but is moving even faster than that as it revolves around the sun. It's moving at a speed of 66700 mph through space.
Divide that by 12 (for a five-minute time travel) and you should find yourself about 5000 miles away, giving you a fantastic ten-second view of our beautiful planet before you lost consciousness.
Michael J. Fox somehow traveled back in time thirty years AND found the correct spot in space.
MikeFairbanks
100 kW
Here's another one:
Aliens have visited this planet, right? Well, some people think so, and those people probably never took an astronomy or physics class.
Here's the deal: The closest star to the planet earth is the Sun. The next closest star is 4.3 light years away. That means that IF you could travel in a space ship at the speed of light (currently we can only go about 150,000 mph with unmanned space probes), you would need 8.6 years to go to the nearest star (round trip).
And the thing is, the nearest star (other than the Sun) doesn't have planets with life, certainly not intelligent life.
We have been sending radio signals out into space for decades (actually about a hundred years) and no answer.
I just don't think there's any way aliens have visited us, and if they have, our intelligence can't be interesting to them. They're so far ahead of us.
And I don't think, given the rate of evolution, that it's possible another race has evolved well ahead of us.
But you never know.
I do know this: With our current technology, it would take about 15 thousand years to travel to the next star..............one way.
And if we want to travel on the space shuttle to the next galaxy (Andromeda), it would take 46,440,000,000 (46 billion) years.
One way.
But don't tell that to Han Solo.
I forgot to mention: Look up in the northeast sky tonight and find the Andromeda galaxy. Look at it closely. What you see there isn't there at all.
But it was in that spot 3 million years ago (although our galaxy wasn't where it is now).
It's somewhere else now, because galaxies move at about 1.3 million miles per hour.
How far is that in 3 million years?
My estimate (based on what I think might be somewhat right on my calculator, is 34,164,000,000,000,000 miles. That's 34 quadrillion miles.
Now, why on earth did God place objects in the sky that we can never hope to visit in our lifetimes?
Because He is full of mystery.
Aliens have visited this planet, right? Well, some people think so, and those people probably never took an astronomy or physics class.
Here's the deal: The closest star to the planet earth is the Sun. The next closest star is 4.3 light years away. That means that IF you could travel in a space ship at the speed of light (currently we can only go about 150,000 mph with unmanned space probes), you would need 8.6 years to go to the nearest star (round trip).
And the thing is, the nearest star (other than the Sun) doesn't have planets with life, certainly not intelligent life.
We have been sending radio signals out into space for decades (actually about a hundred years) and no answer.
I just don't think there's any way aliens have visited us, and if they have, our intelligence can't be interesting to them. They're so far ahead of us.
And I don't think, given the rate of evolution, that it's possible another race has evolved well ahead of us.
But you never know.
I do know this: With our current technology, it would take about 15 thousand years to travel to the next star..............one way.
And if we want to travel on the space shuttle to the next galaxy (Andromeda), it would take 46,440,000,000 (46 billion) years.
One way.
But don't tell that to Han Solo.
I forgot to mention: Look up in the northeast sky tonight and find the Andromeda galaxy. Look at it closely. What you see there isn't there at all.
But it was in that spot 3 million years ago (although our galaxy wasn't where it is now).
It's somewhere else now, because galaxies move at about 1.3 million miles per hour.
How far is that in 3 million years?
My estimate (based on what I think might be somewhat right on my calculator, is 34,164,000,000,000,000 miles. That's 34 quadrillion miles.
Now, why on earth did God place objects in the sky that we can never hope to visit in our lifetimes?
Because He is full of mystery.
