The Survivability of Intelligent Life on Earth: Some Basic Contrasting Approaches

If you survey the contemporary global scene and its human society, there are a number of major issues in process that raise questions about the survivability of that human in society as an intelligent social species into the longer term future. It is possible to debate the nature of those questions and the degree of threats they pose to humanity, but these are matters requiring some considerable expertise. It is not necessary in this article to discuss the threats in any detail. Sufficient to note the concerns that are sometimes now expressed about such matters of observable concern, for example, as the existence of various violent, terrible conflicts in the world, the breakdowns in global order and the many deep divisions and prejudices amongst humanity, the potential for the use of weapons of mass destruction[1] and the increased reliance on and build up of offensive weapons, concerns about gross human rights abuses and genocide, concerns about global environmental degradation and climate change[2] and concerns about artificial intelligence and the manipulation and abuse of electronic mediums. There may well be other such concerns. The relevant point here is that concerns are sometimes being seriously expressed about whether they point to questions about the long term survivability of the human species as intelligent beings in the light of contemporary directions. Some prominent commentators who have even considered such a topic may, for obvious reasons, be reluctant to predict the non survivability of humanity, at least without making suggestions as to how this could be corrected or averted. But a potential existential threat is sometimes expressed by some prominent in various fields. That threat may be actively being examined in some quarters. Sometimes the view is expressed as a question as to the survivability of all life on earth.