azure-lane t1_j3oemvt wrote
Reply to comment by johnsmithinmyass in Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness by chrisdh79
People think that the future is either Star Trek or Mad Max, when the reality is probably somewhere in between, just like it has been for every age that preceded us. They predicted the jetsons in the mid 1900’s and the terminator in the 1980’s. We are closer to both but neither is totally correct.
johnsmithinmyass t1_j3orzey wrote
I agree generally that people tend to assume the worst, but the reality is that since the 40's we now have the technology to actually end all life on earth in the form of nuclear weapons. We have never been closer to either outcome in all of human history. I am cynical in the sense that i believe human history will end in a fireball rather then a glorious space utopia. I don't see the middle path as a viable option.
azure-lane t1_j3ot5fm wrote
Yes, but also we have VASTLY fewer people percentage wise living in poverty than at any time in history. Generally speaking, the last 30 years have been some of the most peaceful in human history. Communication lines between nations in conflict with each other have never been more open. It is both harder to conceal a truth and easier to drown it in misinformation. Humans now are way less likely to die of malnutrition amd starvation but way more likely to die of heart disease and cancer.
Even if nuclear weapons are launched, remember that humans survived the “summer without a sun” after the Krakatoa eruption in the 1800’s and Star Trek featured post-war apocalyptic scenarios before the utopia we all know of.
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