Re: Bicyclist decapitated

On 4/27/2024 1:12 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Sat, 27 Apr 2024 07:07:56 -0500, AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:
 

On 4/26/2024 10:44 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Conventional wisdom suggests that if we ever meet extra-terrestrials
with superior knowledge and technology, they will try to kill and eat
us.  That's wrong.  They will probably try to sell us things that are
eventually found to be a scam.

 

So you think they're well established here already.

 If you believe in panspermia:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panspermia>
then yes, they're already here.  Personally, I don't think we'll need
to wait for the aliens to emerge.  We are already trying to create
them with eugenics, gene splicing, GMO's etc and will likely create
our own replacements.  Whether it will be human, insect, microbes,
cyborgs, AI or other sci-fi horror is unknown.
 So, what problem are we trying to solve?  Running out of food might be
a good start.  However, we can start mining hydrocarbons (instead of
burning them) which should delay that disaster.  Would you care for a
coal tar burger?  I think the big problem will be global
overpopulation.  Advancing technology has saved our collective
posteriors for many centuries, but I don't believe that it will
continue to do so.  Eventually, we will need to limit out population
by means unknown.  It won't be pleasant and "having you for dinner"
might become a commonly used phrase.  Also, notice that overpopulation
is rarely discussed in the popular media.  Nobody wants to hear about
impending doom, especially when there's no immediate solution.  I
suppose the aliens might save us, but more likely, they'll take the
easiest path and just eat us.
 

My comment was in reply to your, "They will probably try to sell us things that are eventually found to be a scam." We have a lot of those here!
Food is the least likely 'catastrophic' problem. World grain production rises every year on less land with less labor. Human innovation rocks.
Regarding overpopulation, the Cassandras haven't been so great on that either. All advanced countries suffer declining birth rates, many including USA below replacement. Regarding extreme solutions to 'impending doom', look at the results of Mao's One Child policy which has turned out very badly.
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971