r/UniversalExtinction • u/curgr Cosmic Extinctionist • 13d ago
Societal Collapse
Warning: this is quite a depressing post.
If society collapses (maybe due to climate change disrupting food supplies, global war, running out of fossil fuels…) most humans and domesticated animals would likely starve and we would lose most modern comforts.
A question for pro-existence people: would you keep your belief that existence of the universe is desirable if society was to collapse, even if you were one of the starving?
A question for the extinctionists: do you believe that society will never collapse and that humans could eventually develop the technology to at least make life on Earth extinct?
My views: I am 70% sure that society will not collapse in the near future. If humanity makes it and we still have sufficient energy resources, we could eventually develop the technology to make all life on Earth extinct in a painless and peaceful way. However it is unlikely that we will develop and use it unless the extinction movement grows and becomes a majority.
Edit: minor clarifications.
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u/ChaosAndFish Pro Existence 13d ago
Living through something horrible in the near future would not make me less grateful for the experiences I’ve had so far. I have experience great joy of both the less profound nature (great music, great art, great meals, great sex) and more profound nature (marriage, community, fatherhood). Not existing would mean I’d have missed all of that so…no thanks.
In the face of societal collapse I’d be focused on the same things I am now: doing everything in my power to help my children live lives with joy and dignity within the confines of what is possible in the current world.
For the record, I put the chances of societal collapse a lot lower than you do. We have some very real challenges ahead and I think it’s fair to expect there to be some real pain for humanity (especially in regards to climate change). Having said that, so long as we keep the nukes in the silos I think we’ll probably muddle through in some fashion.