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0 pointstoolz3y ago0 comments

It's also important to recognize consumerism has driven a lot of innovation which has benefited humanity. I venture to say one of the most impactful advancements in human history is providing access to the internet in almost every spot on the globe. That was influenced at least in part by so many people owning smart phones.

A sufficiently technologically advanced human species might be the only thing capable of stopping the next extinction event. Something that will almost certainly occur naturally without any intervention.

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x86x873y ago

Hmm. A sufficiently technologically advanced human species may greatly accelerate the arrival of the next extinction event.

toolzOP3y ago

Sure, but another extinction event without humans is more or less inevitable - with humans it may be preventable.

So our choices appear to be wait for the bad thing to happen or continue to drive each other to improve and learn, which consumerism does in fact provide great motive and drive for humans to improve (although not the only mechanism, I'm sure, just a large one we understand today). Hopefully we strike the right balance and solve these problems.

bunderbunder3y ago

I always worry a little when something is both the purported solution to and the primary cause of a problem.

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