We live in very interesting times

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers around the anticipation of significant historical events that may occur within the next few decades, particularly by 2070. Participants speculate on the likelihood of events such as a Third World War, a Second American Revolution, the election of the first female US President, human exploration of Mars, and the discovery of extraterrestrial life. Consensus estimates suggest a high probability (90-98%) for the election of a female president and a moderate probability (60-75%) for evidence of habitable planets, while the likelihood of a Third World War and a Second American Revolution is considered low (less than 1%).

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of historical context and trends in global politics
  • Familiarity with the concept of democratic peace theory
  • Knowledge of space exploration milestones and current missions
  • Awareness of societal impacts of technological advancements and globalization
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the implications of democratic peace theory on international relations
  • Explore the current status and future missions of Mars exploration programs
  • Investigate the scientific criteria for determining habitable planets
  • Analyze historical revolutions and their causes to understand potential future conflicts
USEFUL FOR

This discussion is beneficial for political analysts, historians, futurists, and anyone interested in understanding the potential trajectory of global events and their implications for society.

  • #61
Nothing that has not been written, debated, expressed, or heard about my generation. We are extremely good at detecting BS, though.
 
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  • #62
Nothing that has not been written, debated, expressed, or heard about EVERY generation by the generation preceding it.

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

-Socrates
 
  • #63
Mathnomalous said:
Nothing that has not been written, debated, expressed, or heard about my generation. We are extremely good at detecting BS, though.

There is plenty to do in the world, and plenty that needs to be done. The fact that you are having trouble finding something to be inspired by is no one's fault but your own. Categorizing "your generation" as geeked-out electronics addicts is logical fallacy.
 
  • #64
Mech_Engineer said:
There is plenty to do in the world, and plenty that needs to be done. The fact that you are having trouble finding something to be inspired by is no one's fault but your own. Categorizing "your generation" as geeked-out electronics addicts is logical fallacy.

You are correct.

I simply feel anything we may accomplish will pale in comparison with what our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents accomplished.
 
  • #65
Char. Limit said:
Nothing that has not been written, debated, expressed, or heard about EVERY generation by the generation preceding it.

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

-Socrates
Touché! :biggrin:
 
  • #66
Char. Limit said:
Nothing that has not been written, debated, expressed, or heard about EVERY generation by the generation preceding it.

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

-Socrates

I have been defeated.I still dislike my cohorts, though.
 
  • #67
Mathnomalous said:
In contrast, my generation is wimpy, weak.
I don't think so, not for many of them.
Giunta.jpg

http://movies.nationalgeographic.com/movies/restrepo
 
  • #68
Mathnomalous said:
I have been defeated.

By saying this, and being willing to admit defeat, my respect for you went up about 100fold.

I still dislike my cohorts, though.

Well so do I, but I'm not going to cast a shadow of blame on an entire generation.
 
  • #69
Char. Limit said:
Nothing that has not been written, debated, expressed, or heard about EVERY generation by the generation preceding it.

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers."

-Socrates
That's a nice reference (though probably a bogus attribution to Socrates) but there are two ways to see it historically. The first is as you did - that every new generation looks worse to the prior, always. The second view is that history and society proceeds in epic cycles, not arithmetically for ever. The second view bestows upon Socrates a much more cautionary note.
 
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  • #70
Char. Limit said:
Well so do I, but I'm not going to cast a shadow of blame on an entire generation.

But we still need to jam a high voltage cable up our collective derrières. Back in 2008 - 2009, when the feds were bailing out companies left and right, I thought "this is the moment! young people are going to revolt and demand a stop to all this!" Instead, the deafening roar of silence...

I feel the major challenge of our times is the unbearable financial inequality between the "haves" and the "have-nots." More and more debt is being charged on OUR credit card and we are not doing much about it. I honestly yearn the day when we young people will rise up and overthrow our elders, do the same thing the masses did to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, not more of that "Rock the Vote" nonsense that does not work.

That is the only delusion I grant myself in my otherwise quiet and unremarkable life. Ok, I am also looking forward to sexy robots I can, um, engage in man-machinette relations; that ain't cheating, is it..? :blushing:
 
  • #71
"Be the change you want to see in the world"

-Ghandi

Instead of doing something, you sit on an online forum and complain :smile:.
 
  • #72
:redface:

In my defense, threatening to overthrow the government or put wealthy people under the guillotine are frowned upon in modern times. "Good" citizens are expected to debate the issues peacefully and to vote. Citizens who challenge the status quo are generally considered to be "bad" citizens by The Powers That Be and immediately tased.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bVa6jn4rpE

I do not want to be tased, bro. At least, not yet. :wink:
 
  • #73
You could get lucky and be shot with rubber bullets or have the joys of mace-in-your-face instead. Batons and riot shields can make a fair mess too!

Instead of doing something that might be dangerous or frowned upon due to social etiquette, you could anonymously hide on the internet and tweet about the injustices of the world or log into Warcraft and release your pent up anger by slaying a dragon. :smile:.
 
  • #74
mheslep said:
All of which are very different from world wars.

I was addressing Lisa's point which was about wars in the third world, not world wars. (My numbers did not exclude non-third-world wars but the probabilities would be similar.)
 
  • #75
Zryn said:
You could get lucky and be shot with rubber bullets or have the joys of mace-in-your-face instead. Batons and riot shields can make a fair mess too!

Instead of doing something that might be dangerous or frowned upon due to social etiquette, you could anonymously hide on the internet and tweet about the injustices of the world or log into Warcraft and release your pent up anger by slaying a dragon. :smile:.

I fire my electronic bullets on Reddit. I quit Warcraft 3 years ago... damn Blizzard and their nerfs. I am just a poor, young family man daydreaming about future possibilities. There is not much else goings on in the lives of people at my socioeconomic level; we only have family and future goals as inspiration (those two inspirations are more than excellent). Still, it never hurts to think about great things one might experience.

Who knows? Maybe my son will win a Nobel Prize! :smile:
 

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