5 ms·

No need to wait for the sun to kill us. We're either extinct in the next 1k to 10k years or we've colonized other planets.

pacala 7y ago
What short time danger, geologically speaking, can be averted by space colonization?
- Ididntdothis 7y ago
  Yeah. Earth will be the best place for us for a long time.
- sucrose 7y ago
  Only thing I can think of at the moment, geologically-speaking and within a short time span could be a Super-volcano eruption that engulfs the atmosphere in smoke, causing another ice-age. Another method of danger could be a meteor impact, though it's time span is unknown until we detect it, and not sure if that fits your geological category.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- ceejayoz 7y ago
  Release of a nasty biological weapon, potentially.
  - sucrose 7y ago
    I think the parent means "naturally" as in, not our fault
    - ceejayoz 7y ago
      I don't think that distinction matters. If Earth gets wiped out by a meteor, or weaponized Ebola, in either case it might be nice to have a backup.
- john_moscow 7y ago
  The fact that humans, much like other species, are geared towards expansion. And once we run out of frontiers to conquer, that expansion energy seems to go towards biting each other's necks instead of solving common problems together. Doesn't seem to be specific to humans [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink
  - beat 7y ago
    That goes somewhat against Steve Pinker's observation that humanity is becoming increasingly more civilized and less destructive to other humans. Of course, the long-term data isn't there, but the logic is compelling. We may have hit a point where the concept of large-scale war is just too expensive, economically and morally. The US, currently the greatest military power in history, can't currently even justify a Vietnam-scale conflict, much less a WWII-scale one. Improvements in agriculture have radically reduced food as a resource war motivator, and I think that in a few decades, renewables will have wiped out energy as a resource war motivator as well. Ideology without serious contention doesn't lead to war, it leads to taunting remarks on the internet.
    - acqq 7y ago
      > We may have hit a point where the concept of large-scale war is just too expensive, economically and morally. In 1913, "less than a year before the Great War broke out, the Economist reassured its readers with an editorial titled “War Becomes Impossible in Civilized World.” “The powerful bonds of commercial interest between ourselves and Germany,” the Economist insisted, “have been immensely strengthened in recent years … removing Germany from the list of our possible foes.”" http://blogs.reuters.com/anatole-kaletsky/2014/06/27/world-war-one-first-war-was-impossible-then-inevitable/ http://blogs.reuters.com/anatole-kaletsky/2014/06/27/world-w... > can't currently even justify a Vietnam-scale conflict, much less a WWII-scale one. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/doomsday-clock-risk-of-global-annihilation-remains-at-cold-war-highs.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/doomsday-clock-risk-of-globa... "Doomsday Clock timekeepers say risk of global annihilation remains at Cold War highs"

pacala 7y ago

What short time danger, geologically speaking, can be averted by space colonization?

Ididntdothis 7y ago
Yeah. Earth will be the best place for us for a long time.
sucrose 7y ago
Only thing I can think of at the moment, geologically-speaking and within a short time span could be a Super-volcano eruption that engulfs the atmosphere in smoke, causing another ice-age. Another method of danger could be a meteor impact, though it's time span is unknown until we detect it, and not sure if that fits your geological category.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
ceejayoz 7y ago
Release of a nasty biological weapon, potentially.
- sucrose 7y ago
  I think the parent means "naturally" as in, not our fault
  - ceejayoz 7y ago
    I don't think that distinction matters. If Earth gets wiped out by a meteor, or weaponized Ebola, in either case it might be nice to have a backup.
john_moscow 7y ago
The fact that humans, much like other species, are geared towards expansion. And once we run out of frontiers to conquer, that expansion energy seems to go towards biting each other's necks instead of solving common problems together. Doesn't seem to be specific to humans [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_sink
- beat 7y ago
  That goes somewhat against Steve Pinker's observation that humanity is becoming increasingly more civilized and less destructive to other humans. Of course, the long-term data isn't there, but the logic is compelling. We may have hit a point where the concept of large-scale war is just too expensive, economically and morally. The US, currently the greatest military power in history, can't currently even justify a Vietnam-scale conflict, much less a WWII-scale one. Improvements in agriculture have radically reduced food as a resource war motivator, and I think that in a few decades, renewables will have wiped out energy as a resource war motivator as well. Ideology without serious contention doesn't lead to war, it leads to taunting remarks on the internet.
  - acqq 7y ago
    > We may have hit a point where the concept of large-scale war is just too expensive, economically and morally. In 1913, "less than a year before the Great War broke out, the Economist reassured its readers with an editorial titled “War Becomes Impossible in Civilized World.” “The powerful bonds of commercial interest between ourselves and Germany,” the Economist insisted, “have been immensely strengthened in recent years … removing Germany from the list of our possible foes.”" http://blogs.reuters.com/anatole-kaletsky/2014/06/27/world-war-one-first-war-was-impossible-then-inevitable/ http://blogs.reuters.com/anatole-kaletsky/2014/06/27/world-w... > can't currently even justify a Vietnam-scale conflict, much less a WWII-scale one. https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/doomsday-clock-risk-of-global-annihilation-remains-at-cold-war-highs.html https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/24/doomsday-clock-risk-of-globa... "Doomsday Clock timekeepers say risk of global annihilation remains at Cold War highs"