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Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

news.ycombinator.com

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Re: Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

#71

Post by cturner »

icegreentea wrote: post #65
cturner wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought of many attempts. They grow rapidly into mass slaugher. Forcing a particular religion onto people, forcing people to fund great mausoleums to the glory of their leaders, autocracy done in the name of socialism, "super-races" states from Sparta forward. In fairness, I did think of one that could qualify, the vaccination of Polio.

If Polio counts, then small pox MUST count. We did an even better job with small pox than polio.

Thanks for your polite response. I said the wrong thing, small pox is what I was thinking of.

Re: Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

#72

Post by skowmunk »

Would like to add in another factor into this question -

How long do you want that unity to last? the moment the question of commercialising the output of the project comes up, the competition will come out in the open and the unity will break.

Also, is it really required for the whole humanity to unite to take up a project that can affect humanity? Most of technologies and resources that can enable such a project are in the hands of a very few nations.

Re: Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

#73

Post by rblion »

Universal Consciousness --- Realizing we are all made of the same atoms, cells, and revolve the same star. Also, seeing that we are all looking for the same things: Freedom, Wealth, and Love. The meaning of each is subjective but, we have biochemical need for all three to reach universal consoiousness.

Re: Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

#74

Post by philwelch »

zeemonkee wrote: post #23
retube wrote: post #14

Manned trip to Mars Moon base Space Elevator

More likely to lead to increased competition between nations/corporations (see the dash for colonization in 19c, leading up to WW1).

Competition is just parallelization.

Re: Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

#76

Post by kapilkaisare »

jsn wrote: post #60
bendmorris wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an ecologist, it's always bothered me that because people can't immediately observe the effects of their actions in this regard, they don't assign much importance to them... If the issue was Lex Luthor destroying the western US to make midwest property values go up, would you suck it up, or would you advocate forcing him to stop? The end result here will be just as catastrophic. We can't let people go their own wa…

I really didn't want to reply to that (I think I've made my position perfectly clear already), but then I've got so curious that I just can't hold this question: If you had some Lex Luthor powers, and there were 4 billion people destroying, I don't know, the ozone layer and forests, and refusing to believe in "science", and if your only way to stop them was to use your huge robot army and your giant space lasers as a…

Let me recolor that question:

If you had some Lex Luthor powers, and there were 4 billion people hell bent on killing you, and the only way you could stop them was to use your huge robot army and your giant space lasers as a military force against them -- would you do that?

I suppose the fundamental question here is: to what extent can you exercise your actions of self interest if they mean countering similar actions by others?

Re: Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

#78

Post by jsn »

kapilkaisare wrote: post #76
jsn wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really didn't want to reply to that (I think I've made my position perfectly clear already), but then I've got so curious that I just can't hold this question: If you had some Lex Luthor powers, and there were 4 billion people destroying, I don't know, the ozone layer and forests, and refusing to believe in "science", and if your only way to stop them was to use your huge robot army and your giant space lasers as a…

Let me recolor that question: If you had some Lex Luthor powers, and there were 4 billion people hell bent on killing you, and the only way you could stop them was to use your huge robot army and your giant space lasers as a military force against them -- would you do that? I suppose the fundamental question here is: to what extent can you exercise your actions of self interest if they mean countering similar actions…

Yeah, that's an easy one, I feel perfectly okay applying force in response to aggression against what's belongs to me (like my body).

And no, the fundamental question is "why would someone think that ozone layer or forests etc belongs to them" (because if it doesn't, they are not in position to decide if it should be kept or destroyed).

Re: Ask HN: What super projects could unite humanity?

#79

Post by edfghdfg »

jsn wrote: post #51
yummyfajitas wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I generally agree with you, but concerning an issue like global warming specifically, you are wrong. For issues like global warming/pollution, it doesn't help to separate. If the US pollutes less and China picks up the slack, the earth will be just as warm (including the US). Separation is a great solution to some problems, but it doesn't solve the problem of how to pay for global public goods (it deals with local on…

There are people who will refuse to care about global warming (or asteroid, or anything else), no matter what arguments you are going to provide. From here, you have to choices: A) suck it up, and B) force them. I refuse to choose B, and I'm going to fight back if anyone chooses B wrt me.

Good luck with your new post-terran life. If you could avoid voting until you get there, that would be most appreciated - eventually - by those who plan to stay here.
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