- Dr. Pancakes
- Aug 12, 2011
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Thank you for not eating me without syrup
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Looks like some people were pretty upset with the episode.
Edit: Didn't see the link to the article about the car bomb scene
I thought the episode was fantastic but hope this bad publicity doesn't hurt the chance for a new season
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Jul 15, 2014 23:25
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May 18, 2024 17:28
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- Dr. Pancakes
- Aug 12, 2011
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Thank you for not eating me without syrup
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I cannot express how much I love this show.
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Jul 23, 2014 19:05
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- Dr. Pancakes
- Aug 12, 2011
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Thank you for not eating me without syrup
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The Network's plan is eminently reasonable if you accept the following premises as true:
1. Hydrocarbons are a finite resource.
2. The resting population load of the Earth without hydrocarbons is 1 billion people
3. One way or another, the population will return to the resting population load when we run out of hydrocarbons.
4. Producing 9 billion less people is preferable to getting there then by devastating war
5. Humanity cannot adapt.
Premise #5 is where the whole thing breaks down on multiple levels.
Flaw 1: Humanity can probably adapt to the end of hydrocarbons. You don't see a lot of Peak Oil alarmists at the moment because the declining production of traditional oil sources kicked off a wave of exploration for new reserves and tech development into accessing harder-to-get reserves. Meanwhile, solar power gets more efficient by the year and science continues to dick around with everything from fusion to the tides. When the Bakken starts to peter out they'll be back and louder than ever. You could make a Victorian version of Utopia because we're running out of whale oil.
Flaw 2: Humanity can probably adapt to Janus. Even if you assume that Janus can't be undone by the concerted efforts of ALL OF SCIENCE, it won't solve the problem. Two percent human fertility is the floor, but the immunity adaptation is baked in. People who can reproduce are going to reproduce, and they're going to reproduce often. One hundred percent of the next generation is going to be fertile again. Human reproduction right now is largely limited by financial and social factors that would be completely obliterated by Janus. A still fertile woman who gives birth for the first time just before menopause (average age of 51 in the U.S. could easily be a grandmother by the time she dies. A society set to "Dugger" probably couldn't make up for the loss in one generation, but it would come back exponentially within one human lifetime.
Flaw 3: Solving one resource crisis by creating a new one is an unbelievably lovely plan. Do the Russians have more breeders than we do? How does our genetic diversity compare? How much faster can China recover than the U.S.? World War 3 starts early with vastly different strategic objectives. Life especially sucks for fertile women. In the best case scenario, they are well-compensated surrogates. In the worst case they're forcibly-compelled brood mares.
Well one its just a show so its not going to make sense when you dig deep.
I do see people concerned with energy crisis and as of right now there isn't a good solution so I think its fair to have a science fiction idea that we might not come up with a good solution.
I think for the second one didn't they say that the genetic condition is inherited? So that would solve that problem since it keeps everything in check once its set in motion.
I guess they feel when there is plentiful resources for everyone left after billions die then you have utopia.
I can't believe there are only two episodes left though
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Jul 30, 2014 19:23
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Jul 15, 2014 23:25
