Mankind exists for almost 3 million years and has long struggled to survive in Nature. Some 50,000 years ago, mankind “suddenly” developed consciousness for yet unknown reasons. The modern conscious human aligned with animals (eg, dog, horse) in farming and hunting and wiped out much older human versions (eg, Neanderthal).
The exponential growth of modern conscious humans occurred since the start of the Technological Revolution of 1800 – 2100. Before, the human population size was constrained by economic (eg, poverty) and health issues (eg, pandemic diseases).
Improvements in Science & Technology created better healthcare, increased longevity, and an exponential growth of mankind to almost 11 billion by 2100. However, the UN assumptions do not give much confidence in their prediction (see my 25 May 2016 blog).
The forthcoming decades are likely to show a toxic combination of: (1) climate change and human relocation, (2) overpopulation and human relocation, (3) poverty and human relocation, and (4) the availability of weapons of mass destruction. A few days ago, the UN stated that “the possession of nuclear weapons, which are linked with the threat of their use, is fundamentally incompatible with humanity’s common aspirations for peace and security.”
All life forms are in a certain stage of Needs, Wants & Beliefs. The simplest life forms, like plants and trees, are in the Needs stage and just consume what they need (eg, light, water). More complex life forms, like birds and monkeys, use tools to get what they desire (Wants). Conscious modern humans also developed Beliefs, next to their Needs and Wants.
The key criterion in defining a Belief system is the willingness to sacrifice your own life for a belief. This criterion defines the 7 Belief systems, being: Love, Money, Philosophy, Politics, Religion, Science and the Truth. However, these same beliefs are also used to kill other humans.
The modern conscious human being does no longer have natural rivals as we build houses for safety and security, and visit doctors and hospitals to cure illnesses. Our only rival is our fellow human being which is probably due to our consciousness and human belief systems. We may have more trust in an animal (e.g., dog) than in another human.
On several occasions, Stephen Hawking has warned mankind that the next 100 years may be decisive in human survival. Science and Technology, in the Knowledge domain of the 7 Belief systems, may be abused by any combination in the Power domain (ie, Money, Politics, Religion). Such abuse may come from terrorists or countries (eg, North Korea).
Our human beliefs brought tremendous progress but extreme human beliefs also pose an existential threat to human survival. Basically, humans are their own worst enemies. This observation doesn’t appear to be random. Our human belief systems may also be the “reset button” of Nature.
Where Do We Go From Here / Games People Play (1980) – The Alan Parsons Project
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