# Chances that our civilization will survive to the 22nd century? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 21, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680 "2009-10-21T23:47:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/61 "2009-10-26T18:40:45Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Large numbers aren’t needed. > Tiny numbers make the change. umm..before you begin suffering under the imminent threat of theocracy, somebody’s gonna have to ammend the constitution…and that needs more than tiny numbers. oh…and as for the whole meme about the dangers of stupid people ( teaparties, Fox news, creationists, etc,etc.)… let’s remember that when the Founding Fathers gave the vote to us 'mericans, most of the population was functionally illiterate. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/62 "2009-10-26T19:57:12Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > let’s remember that when the Founding Fathers gave the vote to us 'mericans, most of the population was functionally illiterate. They also didn’t have the power to blow up entire cities with single bombs. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/63 "2009-10-26T21:32:01Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > umm..before you begin suffering under the imminent threat of theocracy, somebody’s gonna have to ammend the constitution…and that needs more than tiny numbers. > oh…and as for the whole meme about the dangers of stupid people ( teaparties, Fox news, creationists, etc,etc.)… > let’s remember that when the Founding Fathers gave the vote to us 'mericans, most of the population was functionally illiterate. How much of the Patriot Act is **truly** Constitutional? 12 Fundamentalist judges on the Supreme Court will effectively _burn_ the Bill of Rights. 9 in 10 Americans will be too dull-witted to care. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/64 "2009-10-26T21:45:45Z")
I say 60%. I say that because that’s my guess as to the proportion of society that’s devoted to pure greed and power, which are the only kinds of self-preservation that mean anything at this point. Of course, that leaves a 40% chance that a) all that greed and power will eat itself and take the rest of us down with it, or that b) we’ll lapse into a period of communitarian values, which in today’s geopolitical economy, will mean we’ll starve slowly while being raped. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/65 "2009-10-27T01:25:24Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Large numbers aren’t needed. > > The majority of all people, anywhere, at any time in history, do not stick their necks out for anything. > > Tiny numbers make the change. Yes however these fundies do not have any political power what so ever and if they did try then the US Army would blast them to bits and massacre 'em (hopefully). > [@msmith537](#): > > They also didn’t have the power to blow up entire cities with single bombs. And fundies don’t have nukes. > [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > How much of the Patriot Act is **truly** Constitutional? > > 12 Fundamentalist judges on the Supreme Court will effectively _burn_ the Bill of Rights. > > 9 in 10 Americans will be too dull-witted to care. And how would 12 theocratic fundie judges get approved by Congress? That would be replacing every single Court member today and then some Court packing after that. Also the 1 in 10 American who do care will outnumber the fundies. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/66 "2009-10-27T01:43:16Z")
It’s not going to happen like that. The terms of economic survival, both for individuals and for society, will ensure that things play out in terms of plain naked power. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/67 "2009-10-27T17:24:14Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > let’s remember that when the Founding Fathers gave the vote to us 'mericans, most of the population was functionally illiterate. Functionally illiterate ≠ willfully stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/68 "2009-10-27T22:38:22Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > Yes however these fundies do not have any political power what so ever and if they did try then the US Army would blast them to bits and massacre 'em (hopefully). > > And fundies don’t have nukes. > > And how would 12 theocratic fundie judges get approved by Congress? That would be replacing every single Court member today and then some Court packing after that. > > Also the 1 in 10 American who do care will outnumber the fundies. What makes you think the Army would side with the Constitution? There have been an increasing number of news stories, dating back to the Reagan years, about the growing number of military officers who are fundamentalists. And no. I ain’t talkin about Pakistan. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/69 "2009-10-28T02:28:24Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > How much of the Patriot Act is **truly** Constitutional? The parts that Obama and the Democratic Congress haven’t repealed? The parts that there have been NO protests over since Obama was elected? Or are they all conspiring with the fundamentalists? > [@](#): > > 12 Fundamentalist judges on the Supreme Court will effectively _burn_ the Bill of Rights. Making an elementary mistake about the number of SC justices does not speak well for your state of mind. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/70 "2009-10-28T02:38:47Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > What makes you think the Army would side with the Constitution? > > There have been an increasing number of news stories, dating back to the Reagan years, about the growing number of military officers who are fundamentalists. I’d be more worried about the Air Force, where they’re said to made serious inroads into the officer corps, plus perhaps a few rogue Marines. (Military coups on TV _always_ start with Marines.) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/71 "2009-10-28T09:51:06Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > I’d be more worried about the Air Force, where they’re said to made serious inroads into the officer corps, plus perhaps a few rogue Marines. (Military coups on TV _always_ start with Marines.) Neither the Revolution nor the Coup will be televised.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![ColdPhoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@ColdPhoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColdPhoenix)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/72 "2009-10-28T10:17:25Z")
Close to 100% but voted 90% for the same reason as a number of people above. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/73 "2009-10-28T12:31:22Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > Neither the Revolution nor the Coup will be televised.🆒 no way! how are they going to pay for it without advertising? surely they aren’t going to increase the deficit just for a coup? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/74 "2009-10-28T13:02:27Z")
I’m assuming you mean human civilization, and I voted 100%. We’ve made it through ice ages, the Bubonic Plague, the Spanish flu, nuclear detonations, Three Crusades, Two World Wars, George W. Bush, and Paris Hilton. Another 90 years will be child’s play. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/75 "2009-10-28T13:15:23Z")
I don’t wish to be a grumpy old doom-mongerer, but I think the only form of civilisation to survive will be a selection of the “brightest and best” chosen by an elite panel of the super-wealthy and influential, which will watch from space as the rest of us are extinguished so that they can start up again with a fresh blackboard. My last remains of optimism give this a 10% chance of not happening. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2009, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/76 "2009-10-28T21:22:16Z")
WRT fundamentalists. There would not be some massive fundamentalist civil war for any number of reasons. What would happen, sort of like during the Bush years, is that they would gain more and more political influence and policy increasingly reflect right wing Christian interests. If you asked me a few years ago, it might have seemed more worrisome. Now it seems mostly irrelevant. > [@ivan\_astikov](#): > > I don’t wish to be a grumpy old doom-mongerer, but I think the only form of civilisation to survive will be a selection of the “brightest and best” chosen by an elite panel of the super-wealthy and influential, which will watch from space as the rest of us are extinguished so that they can start up again with a fresh blackboard. > > My last remains of optimism give this a 10% chance of not happening. This statement makes you sound a bit insane. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/77 "2009-10-29T01:14:30Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > What makes you think the Army would side with the Constitution? > > There have been an increasing number of news stories, dating back to the Reagan years, about the growing number of military officers who are fundamentalists. > > And no. I ain’t talkin about Pakistan. There have been inroads, yes but also the majority of the Fundamentalsits themselves to believe in democracy and freedom. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/78 "2009-10-29T01:19:04Z")
> [@Curtis LeMay](#): > > There have been inroads, yes but also the majority of the Fundamentalsits themselves to believe in democracy and freedom. I live in Tennessee. Not so much. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2009, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680/79 "2009-10-29T09:46:22Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > WRT fundamentalists. There would not be some massive fundamentalist civil war for any number of reasons. What would happen, sort of like during the Bush years, is that they would gain more and more political influence and policy increasingly reflect right wing Christian interests. If you asked me a few years ago, it might have seemed more worrisome. Now it seems mostly irrelevant. > > This statement makes you sound a bit insane. Thank you. Don’t worry, I cope despite my deficiencies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chances-that-our-civilization-will-survive-to-the-22nd-century/514680.md?page=3)