Posted on 07/08/2006 5:43:39 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
NEW YORK (AP) -- Some questions even stump Stephen Hawking.
The famed British astrophysicist and best-selling author has turned to Yahoo Answers, a new feature in which anyone can pose a question for fellow Internet users to try to answer. By Friday afternoon, nearly 17,000 Yahoo Inc. users had responded to Hawking.
Hawking's question: "In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?"
Some of the answers were short -- "get rid of nuclear weapons" -- and others vague -- "Somehow we will." Many were doubtful: "I don't think it is possible unless we expand into space."
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Here the answer SH, LEAVE us alone. We survived for millions or billions of years without your help, we will be just fine.
One year at a time.
The world has always been in caos politically, socially, and environmentally. We will get through the next 100 years in exactly the same way as we got through the past 10,000 years...one day at a time.
I wouldn't worry too much, dude's in a wheelchair.
... and between them all, there was not a single sufficient answer...
Can't even Steven Hawking help us? WE'RE DOOMED! /s
The answer is this. Some of us wont survive, But the Human race will.
Maybe if we started to live more closely to the standards set out by the Ten Commandments we'd stand a better chance of surviving another 100 years.
It's nuts, I know. Call me a radical.
Elect Algore as president. He will save us.
The guy can't be very bright, if that's his question. In the history of life on this planet, species die from too few, not too many members. Large populations always spawn, what some might call "chaos". I reject the premise of the question.
there, fixed that.
:-)
Sounds like Hawking expects us to agree with his assessment of our world.
Why would we do that? He lives in one very small part of the world - restricted and inexperienced in "daily life" with which we have to deal regularly.
I would not waste my time taking part in such a rhetorical question when he leads with the answers he seeks.
I agree. Nothing is any different than yesterday, last week, last year, or last cetury, and so on. It's just that the entire world news is at your fingertips instantly.
It's surprising that such a smart man would think otherwise.
Remove Islam from the planet.
1.2 million....
not as the current specie....more like a hundred thou....that is, as we are today...
...our humanoid ancestors of course do go back at least that far....
The question demonstrates the arrogance of humanity. WE can't save us. That's what we need a Savior for; His Name is Jesus Christ.
If you don't like that, don't get mad at me. Take it up with HIM.
The degree of political, environmental, and social chaos is no more significant today than at any other time in history. Thinking that times are worse now than they have ever been is staple of history.
Steve, the human race has managed just fine through thousands of years of chaos. I think it can survive a few more.
SH: Shut up and do differential equations. (With apologies to Laura Ingraham).
 |
| The world is in a lot less chaos today than it was 90 or just 60 years ago. People who think that the world of today where we have less and less countries that are not democracies, where most countries have good working trade agreements, where people generally fly around freely, is in more chaos than it should be are simply stupid. I never thought S. Hawkins was stupid, but nothing says he's brilliant in all aspects. |
Hawking, stick to sub-atomic theory and leave the rest of it to us. If you hadn't noticed, most of the threats come from extreme communict or islamo-fascists. And we're knocking them down as fast as we can.
Idiot!
A very good answer but too obivious for the intellectuals.
Yet another example of an advanced stage of ACADEMENTIA.
I can just visualize the Eloi responses...
There is absolutely nothing radical about "Thou shalt not kill", "Thou shalt not steal", "Honor you father and mother", "No other Gods but the one true God". "Don't covet your neighbor's possessions, " and on and on. What values do you wish to substitute these values for? The God who made us, knows how we can live together in harmony. Society living by the Ten Commandments would survive. Everyone doing what is right in his own eyes is the thought of the day and will surely destroy us all. If it feels good, do it brings nothing but sorrow and self centeredness which cannot be sustained in a society where we are so interdependent on each other.
Actually, I'd wager that the planet earth is more ordered today than any time in the past.
Steven Hawking is going to start a "mass murdering bunch of holy thugs"? Considering that several nations and terrorist groups are working diligently on bioweapons that can wipe humans off the planet a la Andromeda Strain, his question is intelligent and pertinent. In the short run it is obvious that we have to fight the terrorist groups and ideologies that motivate people to risk wiping all of mankind. In the long run, space colonization will insure that our species survives. Humans have always occupied new lands when the transportation hurdles are overcome. Why should the Solar System be any different?
Er, here's a new development...islam with a nuclear sword.
The senerity prayer is problably a good place to go:
God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
The question nearly answers itself.
The key word here is "Chaos".
Systems (ALL SYSTEMS, mechanical, financial, human) go from order to disorder (Chaos) in an orderly fashion {Also Enthlapy and Entropy in these systems.} Only when these systems degenerate enough to reach order once again will we be able to continue our collective growth as a society as well as world community.
See also Entropy, Enthalpy and Chaos here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enthalpy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos
"Hawking's question: 'In a world that is in chaos politically, socially and environmentally, how can the human race sustain another 100 years?'"
ANSWER: The same way we always have, persistence and ingenuity. When has the planet ever been LESS in chaos? It's always the illuminati who sing the doomsday song loudest.
Amazing, a plan PROVEN to work, and what do we do? Run in the opposite direction of that standard, because we've garnered this false notion, TRUTH is relative.
My answer was along the lines of...
"Don't listen to environmental whackos."
"The question is: Is the world in any more political, social and environmental chaos than in the past?"
Great minds think alike BUMP!
"how can the human race sustain another 100 years?"
We can't assume that it will. However, if it does, it will be by the grace of God, not by anything man figures out or does or doesn't do. The little critter has an exaggerated ego.
He sounds more like John Kerry.
Several of the posters mention the Ten commandments and other religious paradigms. Indeed, in the Movie "Oh, God" we are treated to a gentle god who doesn't work miracles to make a point but just gives his message to a grocery store manager! But the real message that he espouses is, "THINK!" paraphrase, "You have free will and intellect. You can find the answers if you are value based and "THINK!"
Maybe he should watch the History Channel or something.
Easy.
Remove the scourges of mankind, in random order:
1. Islamofacists
2. Communists
3. Democrats
4. Liberal Media
We're actually doing quite well, thank you very much.
Human average lifespan has gone from 25 to 75 years in a rather short time.
Whole diseases have been eradicated.
World-spanning travel can be had in hours for a few days' wages.
Food supply significantly exceeds demand (hindered only by distribution politics).
War-related deaths have flattened right out.
The "poor" in many countries are downright rich by historical standards.
Even the whole planet is allegedly warming up, providing improved growing seasons & regions and reducing the desolation of ice-encrusted areas.
Everything is, on the whole, looking up. What's the problem?
wow. That's it. I was really looking foreward to answering a tough question from a very bright man. This is kinda like finding out about Santa Claus. Another fraud.
The questions is childish and absurd. Designed to appeal to juvenile minds that consider their little lives then center of the universe. Too much TV, not enough study of History. The world does not operate like an episode of 24 or of Superman of the latest Hollywood action flick. The fate of all humanity does NOT rest in the hands of a self selected elite riding to "Save us".
Despite virtually unlimited resources and the best minds applied to it, the no major nation state developed a chemical or bio weapon ANY where near capable of doing the things your movie fantasist dream up. IF the major Nation states can not do it, some little third world thug group is not going to succeed where they failed. It absurd hysteric nonsense. If you have to scream hysteric doom and gloom the world is ending propaganda to try and sell your political agenda, you have all ready lost the argument.
Finally, your space habitats, being a vastly smaller environment, would be a much MORE likely target for a terrorists bio weapon since existing bio weapons COULD destroy all life in such a small, sealed enviroment. Now go away, the adults are having a serious discussion here.
Make that, "Thou shalt not murder." and I'll agree with you. There's some bastiches you just gotta kill.
Hmmm...I'd surmise they've declined rather drastically (including genocide) overall, no matter what time frame you pick.
Nothing on a really big scale war-wise since Iran-Iraq and it's been a long time since Rwanda.
Hawking seems to be playing the Carl Sagan card. Imagine that.
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