is it possible to be truly optimistic after ~10k years of human history?

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > is it possible to be truly optimistic after ~10k years of human history?

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

necroid posted:

This is one issue that always confuses me and I would like some more information on it: isn't moderate depopulation at this point in time a good thing? Or at least a stricter management of births?

Don't listen to this guy, he's a filthy third.

Really it's a problem for the retiree:worker ratio, but maybe robots will save us.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2018 07:31

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 22:58

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

necroid posted:

Isn't this the same as saying that we can't reduce our population because we have an obligation towards people alive right now that outweighs our obligations towards future people? Isn't this a self-sustaining loop of unsustainability?

Essentially yes, and maybe. It depends on being able to maintain a good standard of living for ~10B people or whatever the predicted max out is will be sustainable or not. My guess is that with environmentally friendly policies it's probably sustainable, albeit with some significant societal changes and technological advances.

quote:

Also yes, probably increasing automation is going to make it a more pressing issue in the coming years.

Increasing automation makes it less of an issue, because you (in theory) wouldn't need as many workers to support a decent standard of living for retirees.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2018 09:11

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

Owlofcreamcheese posted:

Like fax machines pre-date the use of fossil fuels

...what? We must be using different definitions of "fax machine" here because the conventional one definitely didn't exist before coal-powered boats/trains.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2018 09:01

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

Apparently the first telefax service does predate the telephone:

Wikipedia posted:

Scottish inventor Alexander Bain worked on chemical mechanical fax type devices and in 1846 was able to reproduce graphic signs in laboratory experiments. He received British patent 9745 on May 27, 1843 for his "Electric Printing Telegraph".

Frederick Bakewell made several improvements on Bain's design and demonstrated a telefax machine. The Pantelegraph was invented by the Italian physicist Giovanni Caselli. He introduced the first commercial telefax service between Paris and Lyon in 1865, some 11 years before the invention of the telephone.

But yeah that's still after the invention of coal power.

# ¿ Sep 7, 2018 09:07

Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

Kerning Chameleon posted:

I mean, everyone is obviously still miserable,

I think maybe you've been spending too much time in D&D.

In the real world, no, "everyone" isn't just loving miserable all the time.

# ¿ Sep 8, 2018 09:05

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Debate & Discussion > is it possible to be truly optimistic after ~10k years of human history?