thomas malloy wrote:
No, the answer is a change in attitude.
No, the problem is human evil
Human nature has not changed, and people are as evil as ever -- as we see in Iraq -- yet in most of the world our lives are unimaginably easier and better, and the chances of being killed by war or crime is far lower than it used to be. So what has changed? Not much really. The list is short: science, democratic governments, capitalism, and a moderate improvement in technology caused all of this.
(Note: I call the improvement in technology "moderate" because any educated scientist living in the last 400 years would understand most of our gadgets. We have not yet achieved Arthur Clarke's "sufficiently advanced technology" that looks like magic -- except for radios, nuclear power and microprocessors.)
We believe that sentient life, with free will is unique to this planetary system.
Who is we, and what basis do we have for that belief? It is absurd. Every analysis I have seen indicates that intelligent life is probably common throughout the universe, in stars in the periphery of galaxies (but not in the center). It is even possible that life arose on Mars, right next door, since there were vast amounts of water there.
The population size problem is about to correct itself.
Yup. Thanks to science, medicine, contraceptives, social reform and education for women the population is stabilizing.
- Jed
