Difference between revisions of "Survival of our species/Intro"

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−	[[Image:Brisbane City Night.jpg|120px|right|Brisbane City Night]] There really couldn't be anything more important to us than the '''survival of our own species''' (although not at the expense of others). It is ourselves and all future generations. Currently we have all our eggs in one basket. We live on one planet and there are various threats, both man-made and natural, that could destroy our current civilisation and even wipe us out entirely. To put it bluntly we are extremely vulnerable. Asteroids, virulent disease, global war with advanced weapons. All are possible and we must protect ourselves.	+	[[Image:Brisbane City Night.jpg|180px|right|Brisbane City Night]] There really couldn't be anything more important to us than the '''survival of our own species'''. It means protecting ourselves and future generations. However we currently have all our eggs in one basket which is a precarious situation {{en}} we live on this single world while under the shadow of various apocolyptic threats, both man-made and natural, that could destroy our current civilisation and even wipe us out entirely. Ultimately we are extremely vulnerable. Asteroids, virulent disease, global war with advanced weapons {{en}} all are possible and we must protect our future.
−	We've come a long way and gained a lot of culture and knowledge {{em}} it would be a shame to lose it at a time when we have the technology to do something about it. It's also about not messing things up for future generations - it is not just about surviving but having good prospects, opportunities and a rich environment to live in. Far more likely than total annihilation of our species is the possibility of being knocked back to a pre-industrial civilisation.	+	We've come a long way and gained irreplaceable culture and knowledge in the last hundred thousand years or so, and it would be the most foolish thing in history to lose it at a time when we have the technology to [[Colonising Space|do something about it]]. Far more likely than total annihilation of our species is the possibility of being knocked back to the Dark Ages. It is not just about surviving but having good prospects, opportunities and a rich environment to live in, and not messing things up for our descendants. It's quite tricky to have an advanced civilisation with no civilisation at all...

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Latest revision as of 12:32, 18 July 2010

There really couldn't be anything more important to us than the survival of our own species. It means protecting ourselves and future generations. However we currently have all our eggs in one basket which is a precarious situation – we live on this single world while under the shadow of various apocolyptic threats, both man-made and natural, that could destroy our current civilisation and even wipe us out entirely. Ultimately we are extremely vulnerable. Asteroids, virulent disease, global war with advanced weapons – all are possible and we must protect our future.

We've come a long way and gained irreplaceable culture and knowledge in the last hundred thousand years or so, and it would be the most foolish thing in history to lose it at a time when we have the technology to do something about it. Far more likely than total annihilation of our species is the possibility of being knocked back to the Dark Ages. It is not just about surviving but having good prospects, opportunities and a rich environment to live in, and not messing things up for our descendants. It's quite tricky to have an advanced civilisation with no civilisation at all...