We humans do not have a recognized declaration of the goals for our species. Think about that. There is no set of human precepts we can read, nothing we can point to in reference to our collective ultimate purpose. We are an aimless species. We seem to exist, on the whole, for no other reason than to exist.
Are Species-Wide Goals Impossible?
Acceptance of top level species goals is not easy to achieve. Various human groups and cultures with long histories of stubbornness and division need to be moved through the denial phase on verified existential threats. Given the examples set by the United States an other large nations in developing Constitutions, however, species-wide goals in the face of great diversity are not impossible.
Why Existential Threats?
One of the great advances given to us by our genetic heritage is our human ability to plan ahead, to visualize the future. This is not a gift to ignore. Consider a few currently proposed human species goals from a search on the topic. While “ending hunger,” “ending poverty” and “promoting gender equality” are admirable goals, none of these will help when the sun swells and cooks the earth. Sorry.
In 3.5 billion years, the sun will be 40% brighter than it is today, which will cause the oceans to boil, the ice caps to permanently melt, and all water vapor in the atmosphere to be lost to space. This increase in luminosity will also mean an increase in heat energy, triggering a runaway greenhouse effect similar to what turned Venus into a hot, dry world[1][2][3]. This evidence is supported by the fact that as the sun continues to expend hydrogen in its core, the fusion process speeds up and the output of the sun increases, leading to a 1% increase in luminosity every 100 million years and a 30% increase over the last 4.5 billion years[1][2]. Therefore, the claim that the sun will be 40% brighter in 3.5 billion years is well-supported by scientific evidence.
Citations:
[1] https://phys.org/news/2016-05-earth-survive-sun-red-giant.html
[2] https://www.universetoday.com/18847/life-of-the-sun/
[3] https://www.universetoday.com/12648/will-earth-survive-when-the-sun-becomes-a-red-giant/
[4] https://study.com/academy/lesson/structure-of-the-sun-fusion-process.html
[5] http://www.geo.cornell.edu/ocean/eas1540_hw_post_fall2018/hw1_post.htm
Do We Have 3.5 Billion Years Left?
Not that we should ignore individual well being, we should not. After all, we might have billions of years to work on a way to get everyone off of the planet. Might is the operative word. Recall from our history that major disasters have reset civilizations many times, and that entire human species are now extinct. This period of progress his historically unprecedented, so getting a backup going on Mars is a current useful pursuit, for species resilience. This is just in case we have to start again–after a gamma ray burst, micro-nova, alien attack, nuclear war, or who knows what else–and in doing so, future humans fail to invent nuclear power, rocket fuels, useful metals like titanium, etc.
If ending world hunger and poverty, and for example, that increasing world health and productivity will be needed to create a work force necessary for big species survival projects, then yes, even more, these should become part of our species sub-goals.
Even having an explicitly stated and generally agreed upon single long term goal, however, such as to survive, would be useful. The next step after that would be to carefully consider existential threats, rank them in terms of priority and get to work doing what can be done to mitigate looming risks.
Species Goals: To Survive, What Else?
Do we need more? This is a tall order as it is, especially when one considers the unlikelyhood of the conditions needed for life to exist and all of the species which are already extinct. The goal of simple survival likely will be extended to incorporate our species proclivities and ethics. For example, instead of simply “to survive” a sample human species goal might be:
To further, to the end of the universe, our collective existence while supporting individuals who are experiencing consciousness to be in healthy, happy and fulfilling lives.
– Sample Human Species Goal
A Path: the Map of Human Problems
After one or more species-wide goals is established, we would do well to create a progress road map, a Map of Human Problems. This would help our collective cultures get on the same page. We have had the technology. We’ve only needed to use the Internet in a new way. A Map of Human Problems, a world wide dashboard, could show everything needed to accomplish our species wide goals (as yet undisclosed) as well as all current obstacles to each. The Map of Human Problems could show where we are making progress day to day, where we are stuck, and where there is hope, but the need for further work/testing. It could be decentralized to allow input, new ideas, education, honest debate and even voting on resource allocation for the most promising.
Standing in the way of this crowd sourced vision of human progress in all areas, is human nature. Not only the surprisingly powerful and deeply entrenched profit systems which have developed starting in our petroleum economy phase of history, but just the still average selfish motives of the still average unwashed and uneducated masses.
Tricking Humanity into Survival
Imagine this: Therefore, given the situation, accepting realities of power and self-interest, it became clear that most people needed to be tricked into acting in our long term species best interest. This is what is going on now, in the year 2222. đ The Preposterous Architects of Infinity, a group of intellectuals and shadowy insiders made and began to implement a flexible 200-year plan, an extension of other world-wide control agendas already in place at that time.
Your personal successes and life improvements are part of these bigger goals. You need not understand this. If you have found this page you are one of the few who have already “clued in” to the fact that something bigger is going on. You have suspected orchestration from above, control for a purpose from beyond.
You are correct.
What Now?
Continue with your personal successes, but when presented with any little choice where one option contributes to a sub-goal on the Map of Human Problems, choose that option. You will profit, in spirit if not also in the material world.
Good luck!
Despite being strange, this is a real article written by a real English speaking human being. This article was not promulgated by an artificial intelligence. Okay, an AI did do the images of human cities on Mars.Â
