# The world is going to end in 2051. How soon does society go to pot? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 1, 2016, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219 "2016-06-01T09:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/21 "2016-06-01T20:22:54Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The OP doesn’t say it’s a big space rock. In fact it says that all life in the Solar System will be wiped out, which a big space rock won’t do. “I don’t tink I give much of a shit what dey do after dey sterilize de Oit, Paulie.” – Fast Eddie Costigan ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/22 "2016-06-01T20:26:27Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Well, except for where the duck hits, which is going to have a major nuclear explosion. I was going to say: Actually, that’s what is happening at where the duck departs from. But the link only deals with a baseball being hit on Earth, where there is air. What if the duck is accelerated to damn near light speed in the vacuum of outer space? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/23 "2016-06-01T20:29:03Z")
I’ll be awfully lonely when you people are gone. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/24 "2016-06-01T20:46:29Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > I was going to say: Actually, that’s what is happening at where the duck departs from. The post I was responding to asked about what happens when such an object hits the Earth. > [@](#): > > But the link only deals with a baseball being hit on Earth, where there is air. What if the duck is accelerated to damn near light speed in the vacuum of outer space? Out in space it’ll be hitting random atoms from time to time. These will slowly abrade the object, but not significantly damage it, at least in the short term. But if it hits something substantial, like say, a dust grain, then, well, no more duck. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/25 "2016-06-01T20:55:35Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > If nobody’s working there will be nothing to buy so your money will be worthless. > > I reckon society will see an initial partial breakdown which will be ruthlessly suppressed and then a return to near-normality as governments announce research programs to avert the disaster. > > I think that most people would be hopeful that a solution would be found. I agree there will be nothing to buy that’s why I’m predicting the end of the world then. I’m not predicting roving bands of theirs and rapists but seriously if you know the world is going to end why would you go to work? Who is going to do the suppressing? The police or army are going to have a hard time just getting people to come to work rather then spend time with their families. Sending them to force people to work at gun point isn’t going to last real long. I’m sure people are going to hope that something can be done but at the end when the asteroid is visible in the day time sky people are still going to try and get laid rather then make one more widget. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/26 "2016-06-01T21:29:48Z")
> [@Oredigger77](#): > > I agree there will be nothing to buy that’s why I’m predicting the end of the world then. I’m not predicting roving bands of theirs and rapists but seriously if you know the world is going to end why would you go to work? Because you’re not dying tomorrow or even in the next week and you need to eat. If no one goes to work there will be mass starvation. The machinery of civilisation only keeps moving if everyone plays their part. Farmers will only grow crops if they get paid. They can only grow their crops if they have the pesticides, fertilisers, and so on. The crops will only get to market if there are drivers. Drivers need well-maintained vehicles to drive. And so on. So the governments will say, “Yes, we’re working on it. Now get back to work.” And people will believe in their eventual success because there is no alternative. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/27 "2016-06-01T21:53:03Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > So the governments will say, “Yes, we’re working on it. Now get back to work.” And people will believe in their eventual success because there is no alternative. Right: if it’s (A) keep at work in some sort of order hoping for a miracle, and if that doesn’t work get swiftly whacked at the appointed time, with maybe the mother of all wrap parties the last month or so, or (B) let everything go to hell and suffer great deprivations and die slowly and painfully amidst excruciating misery, people will choose (A). ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/28 "2016-06-01T22:04:39Z")
I got news for ya. That ship sailed _long_ ago. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/29 "2016-06-01T22:08:38Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The OP doesn’t say it’s a big space rock. In fact it says that all life in the Solar System will be wiped out, which a big space rock won’t do. I’m happy to see that you’re optimistic about the chances of there being life in the Solar System beyond Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/30 "2016-06-01T22:30:29Z")
Actually, scratch that, I’m being very stupid. We could just move to Mars. Although there are reasons why I left in the first place. So it’s not optimal. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/31 "2016-06-01T22:48:42Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The OP doesn’t say it’s a big space rock. In fact it says that all life in the Solar System will be wiped out, which a big space rock won’t do. Actually, a sufficiently massive space rock would do very nicely by disrupting the orbits of the inner planets, though the lower the mass the closer it would have to get. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/32 "2016-06-01T23:20:35Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Australian, of course. Is that the sort, which, being at the bottom of the planet, would quack up? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/33 "2016-06-02T01:48:14Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Actually, a sufficiently massive space rock would do very nicely by disrupting the orbits of the inner planets, though the lower the mass the closer it would have to get. Just to wipe out all life on Earth, it would have to be at least the size of the moon, perhaps larger. To significantly disrupt the orbits of the inner planets, it would have to be much larger than that. And there’s no such object that’s likely to do either in the next 35 years. You know, it’s not like we don’t look out into space. Any such object would show up long before it would come close to the Earth. It’d have to come from interstellar space and it would take much longer than 35 years just to fall into the inner Solar System from far enough away that we can’t see it. Besides which, we have it on [good authority](http://www.openculture.com/2015/10/in-1704-isaac-newton-predicts-the-world-will-end-in-2060.html) that the world will not end before 2060. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/34 "2016-06-02T02:50:19Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > I’m happy to see that you’re optimistic about the chances of there being life in the Solar System beyond Earth. I’m sure we could build some sort of colony on Moon or Mars in 35 years if that would be the only viable option for humanity’s survival. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/35 "2016-06-02T04:51:20Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > The OP doesn’t say it’s a big space rock. In fact it says that all life in the Solar System will be wiped out, which a big space rock won’t do. The OP is being vague because everyone loves to fight the scenario. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/36 "2016-06-02T05:04:57Z")
> [@Mr\_Shine](#): > > Some scientists discover through SCIENCE!!! that there will be a massive instantaneous event that will destroy all life in the Sol System. They have precisely narrowed the time to July 23, 2051 14:55:07 BST. Although the actual SCIENCE!!! that led them to the conclusion was difficult and time consuming, now the’ve discovered it, there’s an easy way to verify it that your average high school physics teacher will have no problem setting up. > > Although governments tried to keep it under wraps, it has leaked out, and now virtually everybody knows about it. There’s no plausible way to stop it or ameliorate its effects. It will not have any effect at all until the exact second that it kills everybody. When does society collapse? Very interesting – I like Science Fiction. A far worse scenario is if we knew we could save some but not all people. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/37 "2016-06-02T05:07:48Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > How is “enormous space rock heading in this direction” sorcery? A space rock could easily be stopped. If the Sun would be known to increase its power thrice in 2051. Very possible. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/38 "2016-06-02T05:08:42Z")
…a big rock made of antimatter, maybe? (Actually, a big blob of [gray goo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_goo) might be more plausible, and _possibly_ more devastating.) ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/39 "2016-06-02T05:24:31Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > …a big rock made of antimatter, maybe? No! Antimatter in such quantities does not exist. Grey goo can be only produced by an advanced civilization. Earth contains several [Primordial black holes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primordial_black_hole). Two of them will coalesce in 2051 releasing enormous energy. #Notallhumans could be saved – only 50 million. ---
**Author:** ![CCitizen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2016, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219/40 "2016-06-02T05:31:55Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > [Gamma-ray burst?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-ray_burst) A very likely possibility. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-world-is-going-to-end-in-2051-how-soon-does-society-go-to-pot/756219.md?page=3)