Humanity colonizing the galaxy

Quote: rxwine

People like you will die for not implementing knowable solutions. That#’s just sad. If you had died from covid that’s exactly what I would have pointed out. The vaccines were available. You aren’t going to die from the cost of reducing the carbon footprint, but you have a better chance from not doing anything about climate change.

At least I will probably die from out of some out of control science.

All of humanity will die from something, sooner or later. Even if that weren't true, your position seems to assume that there is some inherent value element in us ever existing---which I have never seen sufficiently demonstrated to accept as true. Finally, when you have died, then the state of affairs for humanity (as a whole) will be immaterial to you.

Quote: Mission146

All of humanity will die from something, sooner or later. Even if that weren't true, your position seems to assume that there is some inherent value element in us ever existing---which I have never seen sufficiently demonstrated to accept as true. Finally, when you have died, then the state of affairs for humanity (as a whole) will be immaterial to you.

I'm relying on instinct for overall survival not meaning.

Most people waking up with fingers tightening around their throat have a similar reaction.

Quote: rxwine

I'm relying on instinct for overall survival not meaning.

Most people waking up with fingers tightening around their throat have a similar reaction.

I think that might have as much to do with suffocation being a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

Quote: Mission146

I think that might have as much to do with suffocation being a thoroughly unpleasant experience.

So, most people would otherwise endure waking up to a painless lethal injection?

Quote: rxwine

So, most people would otherwise endure waking up to a painless lethal injection?

Given the choice between the two, I would think so.

Even if I were to grant you, "Survival instinct," then you've still said that you are hanging your hat on that rather than some inherent meaning to existence.

That being the case, even the survival instinct itself has no real meaning or inherent value. In order for the survival instinct to have inherent value, humanity's existence would have to have inherent value and there's nothing to suggest that it does.

The vast majority of the Universe is indifferent to us and all that we do now and the Universe will be wholly indifferent to us when we are gone.

Quote: Mission146

Given the choice between the two, I would think so.

Even if I were to grant you, "Survival instinct," then you've still said that you are hanging your hat on that rather than some inherent meaning to existence.

That being the case, even the survival instinct itself has no real meaning or inherent value. In order for the survival instinct to have inherent value, humanity's existence would have to have inherent value and there's nothing to suggest that it does.

The vast majority of the Universe is indifferent to us and all that we do now and the Universe will be wholly indifferent to us when we are gone.

But I'm not arguing humanity needs to survive through logical rationale. Just like I'd argue the sex drive exists for sometimes totally negative purposes.

Quote: AZDuffman

At the rate he is going he will be a guest in Allenwood, PA if he does not learn to keep his mouth shut about the financial markets. He does not grasp that AZDuffman on a minor forum talking about Tesla is allowed, a corporate officer doing it on Twitter not so much.

What is the significance of Allenwood PA?

Kennedy started a program to "put a man on the moon" by the end of the decade, and we did it.

As a kid growing up I watched us compete with the USSR in space, and took in stride the rapid technological developments of both sides.

But then it all slowed down, to the point we rarely as a nation focus on space for any reason, let alone as a goal to conquer and explore.

Which is a damned shame, given our track record for screwing up this planet and our inability to limit human birth numbers and wars.

The limiting factor will of course be the propulsion system: without FTL travel we've little if any chance of achieving interstellar travel and interstellar colonization.

Maybe a physicist will have an epiphany, or maybe another life form from somewhere else will gift us the needed tech, but til then we're basically mud-dwellers.

"Beam me up, Scottie ..."

Quote: missedhervee

Kennedy started a program to "put a man on the moon" by the end of the decade, and we did it.

As a kid growing up I watched us compete with the USSR in space, and took in stride the rapid technological developments of both sides.

But then it all slowed down, to the point we rarely as a nation focus on space for any reason, let alone as a goal to conquer and explore.

Which is a damned shame, given our track record for screwing up this planet and our inability to limit human birth numbers and wars.

The limiting factor will of course be the propulsion system: without FTL travel we've little if any chance of achieving interstellar travel and interstellar colonization.

Maybe a physicist will have an epiphany, or maybe another life form from somewhere else will gift us the needed tech, but til then we're basically mud-dwellers.

"Beam me up, Scottie ..."

I keep hearing this line. You are spoiled by seeing modern tech. There is more to it. Consider the settlement of the Americas.

Columbus discovered America in 1492. You can say that others were here first, but before him it did not stick. It was then 100 years before we had real settlements. This is our own planet. We were on the moon 52 years ago. Do you think we should be vacationing on Mars by now?

FWIW I once read that the USA Moon missions will one day be looked at like the Viking trips to North America. Impressive but really not part of the long term picture.

Quote: AZDuffman

This is our own planet. We were on the moon 52 years ago. Do you think we should be vacationing on Mars by now?.

We have finally conquered our planet; no more untouched resources to easily exploit, no more peoples to defeat and absorb.

Given that humanity's playbook has ALWAYS involved exploration, conquest and exploitation in order to fuel cultural and scientific advances then yeah, we sure as hell need to look beyond this planet for new opportunities.

Otherwise we'll stagnate and fade away.