Nasa- collapse of civilisation coming

Fern

Fern

Member
Location
New Zealand
What are your thoughts on this, could it possibly happen over time, ?I do believe it's a distinct possibility.
Modern civilisation is heading for collapse within a matter of decades because of growing economic instability and pressure on the planet's resources, according to a scientific study funded by Nasa.
Using theoretical models to predict what will happen to the industrialised world over the course of the next century or so, mathematicians found that even with conservative estimates things started to go very badly, very quickly.
Referring to the past collapses of often very sophisticated civilisations - the Roman, Han and Gupta Empires for example - the study noted that the elite of society have often pushed for a "business as usual" approach to warnings of disaster until it is too late.
In the report based on his "Human And Nature Dynamical" (Handy) model, the applied mathematician Safa Motesharri wrote: "the process of rise-and-collapse is actually a recurrent cycle found throughout history".
His research, carried out with the help of a team of natural and social scientists and with funding from Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center, has been accepted for publication in the Ecological Economics journal, the Guardian reported.
Motesharri explored the factors which could lead to the collapse of civilisation, from population growth to climate change, and found that when these converge they can cause society to break down because of the "stretching of resources" and "the economic stratification of society into 'Elites' and 'Masses'".
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NZHerald
 

I'm not sure I understand why NASA would fund a socio-economic study, unless they have spare change laying around from the termination of the shuttle flights.

In any case, people - even "experts" such as these - have been predicting the Downfall of Mankind since the beginning. Claiming that it will happen within mere decades is I believe hubris, and while certain segments of certain societies may experience hard times I strongly doubt that the entire world is going to crash.

He even alludes to it in the paper -

In the report based on his "Human And Nature Dynamical" (Handy) model, the applied mathematician Safa Motesharri wrote: "the process of rise-and-collapse is actually a recurrent cycle found throughout history".
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We may be living in a very different society than we are now - that's a given, and has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout the ages. But total destruction?
 
When I came home from Vietnam in 1970 was convinced of just this. Surprised it's taken so long . . .

My dad would often refer to the rise and fall of the Romans when talking about our society. "Rise and fall," he would say. Rise and fall.
 

The day society presses a light switch and nothing happens is the day we go back to the middle ages? The richest man in the world then will be the man who grows garden vegetables
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You're partly right justsayin, but although we grow most of the vegetables we eat and there is game in the woods and fish in the lake our world will still be completely changed. Our produce is canned on an electric stove or stored in an electric freezer. When the electricity goes off it will affect us all profoundly.
 
Every 'empire' has its day, like the British Empire, which was never to our country's credit, imo!
 
Fern said:
What are your thoughts on this, could it possibly happen over time, ?I do believe it's a distinct possibility.

NZHerald
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I think unless a lot of things change, it's inevitable that we will (man/woman) will at the least, make the place unlivable, won't sustain life. People won't get together on things, I mean there's always someone that will keep using up without putting back. It's like the person that empties toilet paper roll but won't put a new one up. Either someone else has to, or nothing for the next person.
 
Diwundrin said:
... Phil, I can't find where it said anything about total destruction, just the collapse of a specific form of civilization. The world carried on without the Romans and it will carry on without Wall St, and the IMF, it will only be devastating to those of us used to living la dolce vita.
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Here - first line of the quote -

Modern civilisation is heading for collapse ...
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Absent any qualifiers I took it to mean civilization as a whole. If they're not dressing up as The Four Horsemen for Halloween I believe they might want to narrow down their doom-saying ...

... or is that the entire purpose of this paper - to rouse the rabble?
 
2230-dystopia.jpg
 
No civilization lasts forever and Western civilization will be no different in that respect. With our abuse of Mother Earth and the Animal Kingdom, and our own kind, you can't say we haven't asked for it....

But mankind will survive and a better world will come to pass.
 
Knightofalbion said:
No civilization lasts forever and Western civilization will be no different in that respect. With our abuse of Mother Earth and the Animal Kingdom, and our own kind, you can't say we haven't asked for it....

But mankind will survive and a better world will come to pass.
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I agree that we have asked for it, then everyone crying and asking why, why, why.
 
Diwundrin said:
Well, well well... I see this thread must have been 'too serious' for some to handle, we seem to have lost some combatants in action.

Forget about this forum being 'international', it's becoming less so every day.
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I can understand folks not wanting to be in "combat" on this forum but I don't get the international thing? I think this thread has a great variety of peeps from all over the world. Well, I guess we are missing quite a few countries since there's 196 (yep, I googled:shame:). I think we have a pretty good variety of threads. I know I'm probably missing something..wait for it..
 
Hogwash! We can cuss and discuss the end of civilization or life as we know it but we're just whistling Dixie. That is to say, we don't know what we're talking about. The best of us and our governments can't find a missing airplane, let alone know when or how or if this civilization might end. The only thing for certain, is that it's not likely, most of us on this forum won't live forever, but are living in the last days, our last days.
 
drifter said:
Hogwash! We can cuss and discuss the end of civilization or life as we know it but we're just whistling Dixie. That is to say, we don't know what we're talking about. The best of us and our governments can't find a missing airplane, let alone know when or how or if this civilization might end. The only thing for certain, is that it's not likely, most of us on this forum won't live forever, but are living in the last days, our last days.
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I agree, if I have to pick door #1, 2, or 3, your door is the best answer Drifter, in my opinion.
 
Originally Posted by drifter Hogwash! We can cuss and discuss the end of civilization or life as we know it but we're just whistling Dixie. That is to say, we don't know what we're talking about. The best of us and our governments can't find a missing airplane, let alone know when or how or if this civilization might end. The only thing for certain, is that it's not likely, most of us on this forum won't live forever, but are living in the last days, our last days.
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That's like putting your head in the sand. The way medical science has progressed over the years, keeping people alive for far more than their allotted 3 score & ten, if we're lucky, the planet must become over inhabited not the least to say food becoming far more scarce than what it is to-day.
 
Survival of the fittest will have to kick in; we'll have to change priorities. Maybe sacrifice all adults over the age of 87 to the god of war, praying some great battle will reduce our population so we have adequate space or food or drinking water. Eliminate some users. No sweat.
 
drifter said:
Survival of the fittest will have to kick in; we'll have to change priorities. Maybe sacrifice all adults over the age of 87 to the god of war, praying some great battle will reduce our population so we have adequate space or food or drinking water. Eliminate some users. No sweat.
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You been watchin Soylent Green again?? You know how the movie gets you started:danger:
 
SifuPhil said:
Ah - another critic ...
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for me your wit is a breath of fresh air. The day there is no humor, sarcastic or otherwise, is the day I hope I'm dead and in the dirt. I think there needs to be balance for me, a little heavy, duty seriousness, and a little laughter.

Sarcastic = marked by or given to using irony in order to mock or convey contempt (according to Merriam Webster). I've known you awhile now Phil, and I do not believe you have a mocking or contemptible attitude toward anyone. You just like to lighten things up, and you do, you have great humor, that's what I think;) Denise
 

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