The Point of No Return
David Musick (David_Musick@msn.com)
Mon, 9 Dec 96 09:33:58 UT
I was just considering the several dangers facing highly intelligent life on
this planet. Collision with a large asteroid, organized terrorists setting
off nuclear bombs all over the world, a deadly and highly contagious strain
of bacteria, etc. I was also considering how robust life in general is on
this planet and how it would pretty much take the sun going nova to destroy it
all. There are living organisms several kilometers deep in the earth's crust,
and it would take something very catastrophic to destroy it all. However, at
one time, life wasn't so widespread and robust on earth, and it seems
conceivable that it could have been destroyed much easier then, but at some
point, life became so widespread and robust that only a highly catastrophic
event could destroy all of it. This point I am calling the "point of no
return" for life itself. What I am wondering about is if there is such a
"point of no return" for advanced intelligent life, such as ourselves. Is
there a level of advancement beyond which highly intelligent life is
impossible to destroy? Right now, we are vulnerable. Can we ever move beyond
that? Is such a state of invincibility even possible?
Just something to think about...
- David Musick