How can the human race survive the next hundred years?

Question

In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?

Additional Details

Yahoo! Answers staff note: This is the real Stephen Hawking. Look here for more detail:
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-d8pH0dcoR…

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http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=17…

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Political and social chaos has been with us for a very long time. Given the revolutions of the past and present, class warfare, and scheming of those seeking power, the human race has shown a remarkable resilience and managed to survive thus far.

The new factors in the equation of the balance of mankind and the rest of nature are the technological advances that have changed how political and social chaos can develop, and the advances in industry that have the potential to inflict serious environmental alterations. Threats of nuclear war, biological catastrophe, and climate change now bring into question as to how humanity can continue to survive.

Personally, I think that with the growth of true threats to survival, there has been growth of human ingenuity as well. We have yet to release a Frankenstein's monster of technology upon the world. Despite the stockpiles of nuclear weapons, there has been no global warfare. Medical research is in a renaissance of advance. Climate change remains a concern, but I believe that we are an adaptable species, as we have adapted before and will again.

The larger question is how will humanity survive, which is what is asked. It's very likely that the resources of today may no longer be available in a century. But consider the resources available today that were not available a century before. As stated before, we are an adaptable species, and when one window of resources closes, it's likely that other windows will be openable.

Of course, the speed that everything progresses at has increased. Will we be able to adapt in time? Perhaps not for a lot of us, but consider that in the 14th century, the Black Death wiped out over a third of Europe's population. Yet Europe survived and prospered. We may again have a catastophe that has similarly devestating effects, but I feel confident that after the catastrophe, humankind will prosper.

Why do I place this faith in humanity? Because I must. Without the belief that we will continue to grow and overcome the pains of social chaos as we mature as a species, we might as well not have any faith at all. I'm not talking religion (although that may or may not be a part in its current forms), but simply the same belief that we will survive just as much as the sun will rise the next day.

Source(s):

Just what I believe.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

This answer was selected with the help of Yahoo! Answers editors.

Answer 2

They will live underground

Answer 3

One day at a time.

Answer 4

Somehow we will. The only solace is that every generation has thought the same things.

By the way, are you really Stephen Hawking? If so, it is an honor to talk to you.

Answer 5

get rid of nuclear weapons

Answer 6

I believe human race will be able to survive 100 years from now. But we need to sit down and work together not fighting or war with each other, ignorant toward environment and respect each other's right.

Answer 7

I am not sure, after hearing of the N. Korean missile tests... I am very saddened at what the future has to hold. I hope that we will survive another century.

Answer 8

It will work out. There are too many mechanisms at play, naturally, socially, politically, to completely fall apart. There will undoubtedly be problems and disasters, but nothing so devastating to match your pessimism. Lighten up.

Answer 9

If you're really Stephen Hawking then you all ready answered this one yourself... other planets

Answer 10

it can,t

Answer 11

Simple. Keep eating, keep drinking, keep defecating, keep urinating, keep breathing and keep having sex. I would say keep praying also, but I've seen our culture on an increasingly constricted diet of prayer to our God, or Lord Jesus our Christ, and somehow we keep on keepin' on. Not very good, but then quality wasn't a part of your question. God Bless you.

Answer 12

If things continue the way they are, there's no way that the human race will sustain more than 50 years....

Answer 13

People will survive the next 100 years. The real question is, will our civilization stay intact for that long, given the problems you've mentioned?

I think the only way we can be certain that it will is by re-examining some of our most basic assumptions about politics, economics, religion, science, and each other. It's those assumptions that have lead us into this situation.

Those assumptions have created social institutions that are built around worst-case scenarios, and, not surprisingly, they often produce worse-case situations. We need systems that allow us to be our best, instead of systems that force us to do our worst.

Answer 14

We move to mars. I don't think we'll last that long. The polar ice caps are melting. We are taking too long to find ways to prevent global warming. We need to find cheap and enviromentally safe transportation. WW3 is a good probably. If not that, then the bird flu. We just might all get sent to prison. They seem to be building enough to contain us all. It could be anything though. Right now, we need to worry about then next two years until we get a new president. Anybody is an improvement to what we have now.

Answer 15

Hello Dr Hawking,

The human race will continue on the path humans have always been on. The human race may or may not survive.

Over the next hundred years the goals of humans will be improve, destroy, status quo, outer space, underground, other planets, cloning, natural selection, death, life. The choices each of us make are based on our knowledge at that moment in time. The "good" decision of this moment often turns into the "worst" choice a moment or years later.

I believe in the chaos theory. The before-time-always-there, never-ending universe has a quirky way of letting us mere humans know we're just a cog in the big wheel.

Source(s):

Personal opinion.

Answer 16

If we are to accept the Malthusian principle as a fact, there are likely three options: (1) change the planetary ethos so that it becomes more like a global village, with the important outcome being a fairly even distribution of planetary resources (Hitler already attempted the other less moral solution; further, bombs tend not to be good for the earth's ecosystem); (2) focus attention on technologies that make it possible to increase vital resources without having a damaging affect on the ecosystem; (3) do away with wars and focus on our ultimate human potential (i.e., exploring other planets that could possibly be used to expand the human population throughout the galaxy).

Of course, I am biased in that my biggest dream would be to have the world look exactly the way it does on Star Trek.

Answer 17

Unity Through LOVE.
;-)

It's UNITY baby, we'll all FALL if we are not United, and to be united, truly united, means we will find love for one another. Thus provide mutual aid to one another, and be in solidarity with our environment creating BALANCE.

The Human spirit will overcome ;-) It's within us dude we're fighters and survivors. Yeah!



If Stephen Hawking is looking for an answer that justifies ideas such as this (seen on Answers):
“Do you think that the human race will have to expand into space to survive??
I just read an article where Stephen Hawking said "The survival of the human race depends on its ability to find new homes elsewhere in the universe because there's an increasing risk that a disaster will destroy the Earth." Do you think this is possible and if so, how long do you think it will be until we can have colonies set up on other planets that will be able to survive without the aid from Earth?”

Then here is my reply…

The answer to our survival does not lay within the ability of the human race to occupy a planet that was not meant as ours and rape it of its potential or future. Who are we to decide the fate of another celestial body and deface it by tara-forming it to our will, when we have not taken responsibility of our own original planet. I’d rather drift in space on a space station colony then participate in raping another planet of its soul.



By the way I like "Sandsquish" (read above) answer too, he/she sums up my feelings pritty much LOL. (& no, I do not know him/her)

Ok I thought about it, I’ll be on the real, who cares about stupid paranoia LOL ;-)
Anyways, so what people ALSO have to do is provide the basic human needs that everyone needs and provide it to everyone for free. That way instead of focusing on keeping a family (or themselves) alive everyday, people can focus on more important things in life (as in civic stuff, economy stuff, social stuff). If someone has to work 14 hours out of the day just to pay the basic bills and rent to survive, then of course they only LIVE day to day and OF course they have a reason to NOT CARE about certain important stuff to all humanity! I mean would you care if no one "seems" to care about you? Get real with it, and you will unite all peoples. And being united will help us tackle any obsticle including survival ;-)



(A)
::: Peace :::

Source(s):

The People, LIFE, and everything outside & inbetween
;-)
:-p

...
Oh if you are interested

Stephen Hawking

You can look at this link:
http://www.geocities.com/veganinfolinks/
Uh, basicly tryin' to apply the above statement I made that's it really. (sorry if it sounds like babling but it's really just a collection of notes I had on the idea, so it might not make no sense at all, oh well worth a try though LOL)


By the way

"vanilla_fudge333"
(everyone else just ignore this comment)

Here is a link you can go to
its not crystal clear but you can begin to get an idea LOL.
Here's the link:
http://www.geocities.com/veganinfolinks/

By the way if you,
"vanilla_fudge333",
have recieved my emails through Yahoo Answers then why haven't you at least contacted me back letting me know you've recieved them!?! That way I wont waste my time. I mean how ya gonna ask me about my idea and not bother to reply back to let me know that you got my email Sheesh...
;-)

Answer 18

I suspect the same way we've survived the last 100 years. Wars will be fought. After enough has died, some peace treaty would be signed. Only to fight in other wars later on. Different civilizations will rise and fall, replacing others and be replaced. The old will die. The young will grow. There will be actions taken and consequences levied. Still the species will go on.

Answer 19

one day at a time....

Answer 20

I doubt that we will.

Answer 21

I don't think it is possible unless we expand into space.

Answer 22

They will discover future technology to enhance their lives and prevent aging. Also, we might also have to find a way to expand to another solar planet, which we will be able to expand and live in peace. If that is impossible, then we must make world peace, because if there is another war being fought, we would use nuclear weapons to defeat one another, then there would not be enough people to rebuild the planet, therefore putting the whole entire world into a prehistoric environment, in a newer stone age.

Answer 23

Dear Professor Hawking,

Your book "The Universe in a Nutshell" and "A Briefer History of Time" are wonderful books, they really stimulated my mind and interest in Cosmology. Do you know if the M-Theory is close to being completed?

Finally, I just want to add, thank you for your scientific works and contributions to the world.

Answer 24

They will live under water

Answer 25

Professor, I think that we will be able to survive much longer, because if nuclear war can be prevented and global warming is just a phase like many scientists say, we will be fine until the sun loses it's hydrogen, so it can't create plasma, that won't happen for a long time though.

Answer 26

A fundamental shift in thinking and how we treat not only the other people on this planet, but how we treat the planet as well.

Of course, a meteorite could crash into us tomorrow and that makes everything moot.

Answer 27

I hope to God we don't have to move to a space station or to another planet, as you suggest. It's time we started taking better care of the one we have. If it is so easy to just move to another one after we've destroyed a perfectly good one, who's to say we won't wreck that one, too. Earth is our home, and we have to take care of our home. Starting from the corporate level on down to the individual. I'm game, but is big business?

Answer 28

if only everybody would realize that not only one person could save this earth but instead if we work together with a common goal - that is for the betterment of our planet... then everything would be all better... as long we all think of ourselves first, instead of thinking for common good, the next 100 years would just be a dream ....

Answer 29

I believe that the human race will be around in 100 years. We need to start focusing on more important things than what is currently going on in the world, if we are to survive. We should focus on the environment, technology, and space.

Answer 30

humans adapt. as does the world around us.

we change, the earth changes... in 100 years, they may e loooking back, asking how we could live like THIS. who knows

Answer 31

Yes the human race will be around for the next 100 years, 500 , and 5000 years
If you are not already familar with Arthur C Clarke's predictions, most have already came true, still waiting on mass depopulation though.
The haves will still have, the have-nots will still have-not
technology is the new wealth the have-nots will not get
When poverty is stopped being viewed as a virtue, then the human race will give more purpose to those who live here

Source(s):

Arthutr Clarke