Does humanity have the capability to evolve enough to save us from extinction?

As the following article points out, it's do or die time for humanity:

But we are not doomed to cause a sixth mass extinction, at least not yet, despite consuming our way through the world's remaining big wild animals. Based on an estimate published in Nature in 2011, we have a century or two at present rates before our depredations assure a mass extinction. Unlike an asteroid, we could choose to change course.
Fact or Fiction?: The Sixth Mass Extinction Can Be Stopped

This thread is not meant to be about making predictions as to whether humanity will evolve* enough to survive what the article above describes, I want to get people's opinions on whether humanity has the capability to do it.

* I'm using the following definition of "evolve", it has nothing to do with the theory of evolution. In fact, we're going need to make this evolution of our own collective volition which I believe would be the opposite of the kind of evolving that the theory of evolution suggests.

to change or develop gradually
www.merriam-webster.com...

There are many reasons why I'm on the "No" side of this debate. Here are a few:

1. Humanity as a whole isn't taking the "sixth mass extinction" seriously at all. Scientists are saying it's going to happen unless we make major changes and basically no one is listening. And, who's doing anything substantial about it? I don't see any signs of that.

2. The reaction to the Fukushima Daiichi ongoing disaster is a disgrace beyond belief. Expert testimony (not to mention the science behind it) is magically turned into "harmful rumors" and the system attempts to keep on humming as if nothing is going on:

Fukushima farmers grow plants with polyester 'soil'

3. Over 80% of the world's population lives in a fantasy land based on faith. And, there's no reason to believe that will ever end. As long as faith (i.e. believing in whatever you want) is the foundation of most people's lives, I don't see any hope concerning the question at hand.

I believe we have the capability, just not the will. People know there are serious problems, but have that "Meh, somebody needs to fix it" attitude. That "somebody" is all of us.
Greed plays a large part. Many companies see easy profit and know they will just have to pay a fine [ bribe ] to get away with dumping toxic chemicals or like Fukushima, the govts and media are in on it.

Science is still trying to come to grips with what caused many of the previous mass extinctions on Earth, Some may be obvious but still not fully understood.

I'm not seeing the dots you're trying to connect with Religion here in this context.

I seriously doubt T-rex died due to Religious differences/strife with Stegosaurus.

The mechanisms for mass extinction on a global scale may be beyond our control. I'm all for cleaner/unpolluted water, Fresh air and leaving space and habitats for other species so our great grand children could enjoy. I also agree we need to be doing a much better job policing our land management in a much more environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.

Also, limits to growth:

www.theguardian.com...

a reply to: Profusion

We're all in the middle of an extinction event right this minute. Look at this ye mortals and tremble!!

Our examination of existing data in these contexts raises two important points. First, the recent loss of species
is dramatic and serious but does not yet qualify as a mass extinction in the palaeontological sense of the Big
Five. In historic times we have actually lost only a few per cent of assessed species (though we have no way of
knowing how many species we have lost that had never been described). It is encouraging that there is still
much of the world’s biodiversity left to save, but daunting that doing so will require the reversal of many dire and
escalating threats

Only our grandkids can tell us if the current extinctions grow big enough to be Top 6.

We'll all bitch at each other and disgree as it happens. A mass extinction event will overtake us and leave us to start over. Tis the way of the world.

originally posted by: SLAYER69
I'm not seeing the dots you're trying to connect with Religion here in this context.

I seriously doubt T-rex died due to Religious differences/strife with Stegosaurus.

Why didn't you address the question asked in the title of this thread at all?

Here's what I wrote about faith in the original post:

As long as faith (i.e. believing in whatever you want) is the foundation of most people's lives, I don't see any hope concerning the question at hand.

The following quote is a more detailed explanation of how I see faith:

"Faith is a device of self-delusion, a sleight of hand done with words and emotions founded on any irrational notion that can be dreamed up. Faith is the attempt to coerce truth to surrender to whim. In simple terms, it is trying to breathe life into a lie by trying to out shine reality with the beauty of wishes. Faith is the refuge of fools, the ignorant, and the deluded, not of thinking, rational men." - Terry Goodkind

Here's an on-topic example of what faith can do in the context of a major catastrophe:

BRAINWASHING CAMPAIGN: “RADIATION DOESN’T AFFECT PEOPLE WHO ARE SMILING”

That's not just what faith can do, that's what it does to people commonly. Biblical literalists believe that a talking donkey and a talking snake actually existed.

I didn't mention religion in the original post, I only addressed faith. Faith is the killer IMHO.

a reply to: Profusion
" As long as faith (i.e. believing in whatever you want) is the foundation of most people's lives, I don't see any hope concerning the question at hand. "


I think 'Faith' may have saved mankind many times in the past.

Maybe not Faith in a deity but in man himself.

The possible Toba Eruption theory reduced mankind down to roughly a few thousand. Humanity was bottle-necked to a much smaller gene pool. IMHO, if it weren't for faith in a future and basic survival skills we would have gone the way of the Dino.

Faith, has saved mankind countless times.

a reply to: SLAYER69

Ah yes, King makes the argument in the movie "the mist" - not to have so much faith that you're a wailing lunatic in the supermarket, but not to have so little faith that you cap your family in the car just before help arrives.

That would depend on what the extinction level event was. A giant asteroid probably not. Nuclear annihilation certainly.
Some things we can control. Some things we cannot.

Mankind has already evolved enough to save itself from extinction.

There's probably hundreds (even thousands) of underground bunkers around the world that are capable of being totally self sustainable... just for one example.

We're also fully capable of sending a self sustainable colony to another planet, if the motivation to do so existed.

So its obviously very unlikely that homo sapiens will go completely extinct.

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Profusion
" As long as faith (i.e. believing in whatever you want) is the foundation of most people's lives, I don't see any hope concerning the question at hand. "


I think 'Faith' may have saved mankind many times in the past.

Maybe not Faith in a deity but in man himself.

The possible Toba Eruption theory reduced mankind down to roughly a few thousand. Humanity was bottle-necked to a much smaller gene pool. IMHO, if it weren't for faith in a future and basic survival skills we would have gone the way of the Dino.

Faith, has saved mankind countless times.

Faith kills people, literally:

Snake-Handling Pentecostal Pastor Dies From Snake Bite

The above is not too rare of an occurrence. I just did a Google search for "pastor dies from snake bite" (without quotes) and I got 48,900 results. I could be here all day giving examples of how faith has led to people's deaths. I find the example above to be tragicomedic. If you put that event (including the reasons behind it) in a fictional story, I don't think many would think it was possible. It's only possible because of the ridiculous nature of faith.

"Faith, has saved mankind countless times."

Can you prove that assumption? Not using a his-story book you can't. And, what are you left with after that?

I can point to scientific studies that suggest that faith is meaningless (my personal belief):

One of the most scientifically rigorous studies yet, published earlier this month, found that the prayers of a distant congregation did not reduce the major complications or death rate in patients hospitalized for heart treatments.

And:

A review of 17 past studies of ''distant healing," published in 2003 by a British researcher, found no significant effect for prayer or other healing methods.
godisimaginary.com...

Please note that my beliefs on this matter are based on facts and scientific research. Your beliefs are based on his-story and speculation.

Nice chatting with you, I'm done with this discussion.

a reply to: Profusion

Every time you load into a bus, car, plane or train you have faith that the engineering is good and things will work so you can reach your destination in one piece. You have faith that your food you eat wont kill you etc.

It seems you want to only portray faith and a religious belief/dogma in a collusional context.

There is a distinction between the two you know and they exist outside of that paradigm.

Some people have Faith in Science and no Religious beliefs, while others, claim to be very Religious but lack true Faith.

No. The human race as we know it will die out at some point. Nothing lasts forever.

a reply to: Profusion

The real question is does humanity have the WILL to save everyone from extinction?


We absolutely "can".

a reply to: Profusion
I think you missed Slayer's main point. Yes, we can change as a species, but we do not control the planets natural processes, or those outside earths atmosphere. It may not be up to us as to whether or not we survive. It may be up to mother nature, or the next big asteroid. Faith and religion have nothing to do with that. We can only change what we can control.

a reply to: Klassified
To address your OP:
As much as it is up to us as a civilization, I have to agree with your NO answer for now. You're right. Few are taking it seriously, but history is replete with those who ignored the proverbial "writing on the wall", and it seems at this point, we are walking step for step with them. "God" isn't going to save us all, and religious faith isn't going to do it either.

What makes us think that humanity's fate is in the hands of humanity in the first place ?
Thank... it's not.

a reply to: Profusion

This thread is not meant to be about making predictions as to whether humanity will evolve* enough to survive what the article above describes, I want to get people's opinions on whether humanity has the capability to do it.

* I'm using the following definition of "evolve", it has nothing to do with the theory of evolution. In fact, we're going need to make this evolution of our own collective volition which I believe would be the opposite of the kind of evolving that the theory of evolution suggests.

I think it is the same "evolving." What we are doing now is clearly not working...but evolution takes a long, long, long time....

I think we have the CAPACITY to do it, but there is too much strife and hatred, war-mongering and hostility.

It would take everyone focusing together - and I'm not sure that we're there yet -

some of us are, for sure. But not a majority. All we can do is pass it down to the next generations and hope for the best.

F/S
Good thread. Sorry I'm late.

a reply to: Klassified

It may not be up to us as to whether or not we survive. It may be up to mother nature, or the next big asteroid.

Truth.

Faith and religion have nothing to do with that. We can only change what we can control.

Woops....

The two are interconnected. We can control it to some extent (barring Yellowstone erupting or an asteroid impact or something, alien invasion, zombies, blah blah blah).......

We can continue with green energy initiatives, with the reduction of strip-mining, fracking, oil-drilling....and with a unanimous, collective focused plan toward improving the planet's balance (i.e., by ceasing and desisting our own destructive activity).

We can also decide to do away with "faith and religion" as an excuse for those who refuse to do so.

It is what it is. I'm so sick and tired of people who are just 'meh' or 'whatever' about the whole thing. People who, like, burn toxic stuff, toss their cigarette butts onto the street (or worse, dump their ashtrays and toss out their trash while driving), trash parks, etc. Really grinds my gears when I see that crap. I volunteered for a season with the Forest Service when I lived in the Rockies....I care about our wildernesses and accessible green areas. It makes me sick to see the trash at local campgrounds or lake-side picnic spots here in "Kansas." Slobs.

But, again. I doubt it will happen for, say, about another 5 generations. Ignorance has to be phased out, little by little, generation by generation. We have a start, but we're not at critical-mass "let's-do-something!" level yet. Sadly.

Too many people are all like, "Naaaaah. Who cares!? I'm getting rich. Suck it losers. PFFFfft!"
I guess there's really no help for it except to teach our kids and to lead by example. Obvi not happening on a massive-enough scaled. Another few generations, and we're there!!!

Go Millennials!!!

originally posted by: nirvi
What makes us think that humanity's fate is in the hands of humanity in the first place ?
Thank... it's not.

Quoting for emphasis

We could have a solar flare, virulent illness or a low-albedo mountain heading our way and won't be able to do enough to stop them. Hell, we could have all three in the space of days or years and be knocked back to the European Dark Ages.

Sentience could be the pinnacle of life and then it's gone.

...I'll get my coat