The world in 4000

[Cavernio]

So what do you think humanity will be like in 2000 years? What about 1000 years? 500?

I have only a few things that I think, but I don't wanna say them in this post because I don't wanna color what anyone thinks with what I think. And with that, it'd be cool if you answer and think about it yourself before you read the thread so your imagination/ideas are your own. More fun that way, and I think there'll be more variation and creativity.

PS: I'm posting in CT because I want well-thought out discussion and ideas.

[dragonmegaXX]

Originally Posted by The_Toymaker

Nothing.

Please learn to actually post right, or just get out. Seriously.

Anyways, if you think about it, technology has been increasing exponentially for a long time. 70 years, imagine telling someone that they could have a personal computer that holds terabytes of information and that they could have something like an Ipad where everything is touchscreen.
Then imagine 300 years ago, roughly 3-4 lifetimes, when the industrial revolution hadnt even happened.

With that in mind, I believe one of a few things can happen:
1. One dominant country with a leader that is just a /touch/ too radical could launch nukes 1000 times stronger than Hiroshima and end the world in a nuclear wasteland. It's actually pretty plausible, considering the instability in the minds of some dictators.

2. If everyone on Earth manages to get along, then I honestly expect things that are in science fiction, such as flying cars(such a thing already exists for a few creative people), schools will all be electronic, over super advanced webcams, etc. I think gaming will be ridiculous with some super fancy Virtual Reality Simulator allowing you to actually be in the game(leading to all sorts of addictions and escapism most likely)

3. The longest kingdoms on Earth generally only last under a one or two thousand years, so eventually there will probably be new forms of government to grow alongside that of democracy and communism, both of which are still relatively new in their applicable forms, or even overtake them as the predominant government systems.

4. Earth reaches its carrying capacity, everyone starts dying of starvation, disease, and lack of water, and animals have fun until the world ends.

[wildfireskunk]

I don't think anything any of us come up with would be anywhere near what it's likely to be like, provided that we don't wipe ourselves out with nuclear weapons before we find a way of colonising other planets. The question itself raises a myriad of other questions which could merit a good discussion before even considering it... Will we ever achieve near light/light speed/faster than light travel? What will medical and technological advancements have done to humankind in that time? Will we have created AI that lives upto what people expect in science fiction, and that won't do a Terminator/Matrix on us? Will we have made alien contact, and will it being friendly/hostile?

Personally, I'd like to imagine that in 500 years time human beings are living in a manner somewhat similar to how Ian Banks writes in his books written within the Culture universe. But I'm just a fanboy as I love those books. :3

[rushyrulz]

Originally Posted by dragonmegaXX

4. Earth reaches its carrying capacity, everyone starts dying of starvation, disease, and lack of water, and animals have fun until the world ends.

If we don't start taking some serious population control measures, we'll be at critical mass by year 4000 and we will be screwed, so hopefully there's an epidemic coming sometime in the next 2000 years to wipe out a portion of the densely overpopulated Earth before everyone dies from lack of water.

[25thhour]

I believe that in the year 4000 earth will be a mess. Climate change will have ruined the earth, the earth will reach its carrying capacity and there will be wars over the most simplest neccessities like water, maybe even air. Natural Disasters will wreak havoc over most of the world. But yeah you see where i'm going.

I honestly don't see the earth's future as a good one.

[iironiic]

Originally Posted by 25thhour

I honestly don't see the earth's future as a good one.

I agree with this. It is part of human nature to try and simplify their life using the resources that are around them. If this mentality keeps up (and chances are very likely), I don't see a promising future either.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by rushyrulz

If we don't start taking some serious population control measures, we'll be at critical mass by year 4000 and we will be screwed, so hopefully there's an epidemic coming sometime in the next 2000 years to wipe out a portion of the densely overpopulated Earth before everyone dies from lack of water.

You know that if you fit the entire Earth's population into one concentrated area, it would only cover the size of Alaska? Surely in 2000 years, that will be an issue, but I see your point as well.

[25thhour]

Originally Posted by iironiic

I agree with this. It is part of human nature to try and simplify their life using the resources that are around them. If this mentality keeps up (and chances are very likely), I don't see a promising future either.

Yes, but there is a glimmer of hope. Lots of times it takes a massive disaster for people to realize that their ways are wrong and that they need to change before something exponentially worse happens.

[Crashfan3]

2000 years ago, we still used swords and chariots and only the 90-95% of the population couldn't read or write. The world's population was roughly 250-300 million.

500 years ago, modern science began to take its baby steps, and a well developed sailing industry allowed humans around Europe and Asia to communicate and trade. The world's population was roughly 500 million.

Today, we have cures for millions of diseases, and via the internet we can communicate with someone on the other side of the planet in a few seconds. The world's population recently exploded and is now 7 billion.

In 2500, given the current population trend our population could easily be 50 billion or more. Earth can not support that massive of a society so by the time our population is that great we will either need to set up a colony on the moon or another planet or the massive instability will cause great chaos and global wars for even the most basic resources. Assuming we have found a way to either control or support the immense population, our technological advances by then would be unimaginable. 100 years ago we didn't even have telephones, now our telephones are also internet devices, HD video cameras, and heaven knows what else. By 2500 we'll probably have 50 exabyte memory cards for both our phones and our brains, and people will be able to teleport and fly for all I know. Cures for AIDS and cancer may be developed, and the average human may have a lifespan of 120 years,

By 4000, assuming we haven't wiped ourselves out with either intergalactic thermonuclear wars or our unthinkable population possibly in excess of 500 billion, we'll probably have extremely advanced technology among the likes of being able to selectively modify genetic code at our convenience, telepathy, inception (lol), and lightspeed travel. Humans that die of natural causes may live to be a few centuries old and disease may be something that exists only in history books thought-o-scans.

However, in complete and total honesty, I don't see the human race living up to these claims of indestructibility I mentioned in these last two paragraphs. We are now gaining an extra billion citizens every 15-20 years and the earth is ridiculously overpopulated and polluted. Wars break out over the most trivial bullshit and economies are falling left and right. A new supervirus is on the news every 5 years. If society has not completely collapsed by the year 2250, I will be very surprised. BUT, I don't anticipate the extinction of the human race. There will likely be survivors that find a way to start over with basic societies.

also in 4000 will be the mark of the release of final fantasy MCCLXVI ;o

[wildfireskunk]

I'm of the same opinion of a few here that the most likely outcome is that at some point in the next few centuries there will be a global catastrophe that will cause a huge decline in the earths population. The hope is that if that happens, all of the accumulated knowledge up until that point is somehow preserved so that the much more reasonably sized population can carry on where things were left off. Would be kind of depressing if the world in 250 years was like the scorched wasteland of the Fallout universe.

Another interesting thing would be if that, in the next few decades, various aspects of science met dead ends. Let's say that is was proven impossible to travel at a speed that would allow humans to travel outside the solar system. No way was found to put humans into a survivable suspended animation for long term travel, AI was never developed, practical flying machines (hovercars!) were never developed, Ailens were never discovered, and all of these other things that most people assume will happen in the future turn out not to be possible due to eventual constraints on the way things are made, or it just plain not being able to happen. It's depressing to think that there's the chance that humans might one day reach a technological high, only to have it maroon them here on earth with no prospects for travel beyond the stars.

[Mike Weedmark]

I don't even think people will still be driving in 20-30 years. This isn't much of a post, but anyone the phrase "Peak Oil" means anything to should know what I'm talking about. I'm not an apocalyptarian or anything, but my best guess is that the year 4000 will look a lot like the year 1850 with a few advanced but sustainable and realistic technologies scattered around.

Edit: And probably not 7 billion people.

[who_cares973]

We're already running out of water. There will be wars for basic needs before the 500 mark

[cry4eternity]

I don't mean to just post a link and run, but this website kept my attention for a few hours while reading about all the things that are possible.

http://futuretimeline.net

Though it seems to be based on extrapolated facts and educated conjecture, I found reading this to be quite exciting. Settling the Moon and Mars, technology merging with biology, force fields, femtotechnology, fully automated cities, the disappearance of religion (estimated ~2240), and the perfection of computer science are among the topics discussed.

[dragonmegaXX]

Originally Posted by cry4eternity

I don't mean to just post a link and run, but this website kept my attention for a few hours while reading about all the things that are possible.

http://futuretimeline.net

.

This is actually pretty cool, and seems pretty possible from the few years Ive read so far.

[hi19hi19]

There will be worldwide issues with basic needs before the 500 year mark. As if there aren't already in many places.

Originally Posted by cry4eternity

technology merging with biology

lol welcome to today, enjoy your stay

[Cavernio]

Yes, I haven't said stuff yet.

I think that in 2000 years people will be living on the moon and mars, and probably not much elsewhere. I don't think we'll be able to 'teleport' in space or do faster than light travel, but that's just me. I think about 1000 years will be enough for the moon to be colonized, but not necessarily mars.
I also suspect metals will be akin to what plastics are right now; cheap and used everywhere that they can be, because with actual space travel we will be able to mine more than just the earth. (Yeah yeah, I that's like exactly out of any sci-fi universe, so not exactly my own idea, but it makes a lot of sense.) Meanwhile plastics and all products used with them will be very expensive, but we will still manufacture them for things that basically require them.
Food is also another thing that won't be nearly as cheap as it is now; food and personal space. The world will be hugely overpopulated, and by 2000, I bet the moon will be too. I think power will be super cheap, seeing as even now it's all around us just waiting to be changed into something usable, and might be rather like water is now: basically free for everyone. Also, you won't be able to colonize other planets without being able to get there in a decent amount of time, or be able to mine in space, etc, and space will be where the world turns to next to get resources and to have new space to live on.

But I don't think I can really say what the world will be like from a purely...societal point of view. All that I think I can say would be based on resources and reaching limits, and what technology will bring; lots of gizmos and whatnot that people use. I think we'll still have countries and there'll still be politics. There will still be poor and rich people, but what they have will be different. I think that due to overcrowding and therefore not as much food per person, the overall standard of living will be worse than now.
I think medicine will be much better, but there will still be a huge gap between who gets what treatment much like now. I also think that people will have more 'free' time, or at least time when they aren't paid for their work, simply because the people won't be needed to work as much, and hobbies and interests will explode at some point. I suppose if that happens though it will be a little opposite what we have now, where people make work for the sake of making work.
I think that perhaps what someone can buy with infinite money will be less than what a person can buy now, although I still think the poor people will have basically as low a standard of living as now.

I think that in probably only around 500 years we'll have fairly advanced AI's too, although what their role will be and if they will be mobile or anything, I dunno. Probably just helper AI's. I'm not sure if they'll have 'personality' attached to them. I'm thinking more like super advanced Google.

And that's as much as I've thought about the subject. It's really, really hard to predict, especially seeing how fast society can change even now, and then go back to something it was like a hundred years ago.

[Cavernio]

K, so now I've read people's posts, and I'm surprised only 1 other person was like 'yeah, life on the moon and mars!'
I think that *if* we manage to travel near the speed of light, or get ftl travel, we'll manage to colonize other worlds too, ones we don't even know about. I also think they'd still have ties to earth. I think the possibility of humans colonizing a planet and then have no contact with the rest of civilization be very, very slim.

Religion won't disappear unless humanity genetically moves towards smart, aspergian savants, where emotions wouldn't exist. (not saying all aspergerians are smart or emotionally stunted, just picking up on a very niche type of person.)

It seems everyone's views of the world are really dismal. I could totally see us killing most of the human species, but I doubt we'd kill off everyone. We could be put back into the stone age with nuclear explosions and stuff though. But I don't think that will happen; although it does only take 1 person. What we need to do is start storing information in space, safe from the effects of nuclear blasts :-p

Thing like hovercars I don't think would be popular simply because they'd be big. My future doesn't have enough space for individuals or families to own such massive things as even a smart car. Bicycle sized or scooter, maybe. Probably public use of things like that though, just because we'd need to share space-intensive things; lots of public transport.

[TheNoSoMan]

With what dragonmega stated, there are many paths in which the future can take. But from what I see so far, the world in even a 1000 years would be mostly artificial.

Food resources will probably decrease to a point where wars will be staged over it and/or genocides will wipe out a significant portion of the world population so that the Earth may sustain us all. But there is a possibility where we will be able to create our own food that is not directly derived from organic beings. (That also means humans.) Science always has provided us possible ways to adapt effectively.

[Choofers]

Honestly, why does it matter? Unless a procedure is created that stops aging (and is cheap enough for the masses), none of us will be here for the next 500 years, let alone 4000 years.

The link cry4eternity posted is pretty cool though.

[Cavernio]

Originally Posted by Choofers

Honestly, why does it matter? Unless a procedure is created that stops aging (and is cheap enough for the masses), none of us will be here for the next 500 years, let alone 4000 years.

Honestly, why do you matter?

[Choofers]

Originally Posted by Cavernio

Honestly, why do you matter?

I don't d: