S John Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Some people would freak out, for sure. Personally I don't think I would be all that worried about it because there would be no point in worrying about it. The main thing that sucks about death is that you leave behind friends and family (or they leave you) and all of the interesting things to explore in life. If life were going to be extinguished on the planet in one cataclysmic event, that takes away the 'missing out on life' element of death. The movie Melancholia is kind of about this sort of scenario. It's on Netflix. I don't know if it is for everyone but I liked it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 In this hypothetical scenario, did scientists just announce that the doom is 2-2.5 years away? Or is it an internationally recognized fact? Because if the case is the former, then world leaders will spend all that time bickering about the truth of what the scientists said, and then everyone dies. If it's the latter, then conflicts will arise all over the planet regarding resources. People would advocate other plans, such as underground bunkers, or underwater habitats, as opposed to orbital habitats. Provided the Moon doesn't explode, then maybe lunar habitats might be the way to go. Either way, conflicts, including nuclear war will greatly impede any plan of saving mankind, especially with each country trying to selfishly save its people, and in the end at most there will be a small orbital habitat fit for less than a hundred people.Now provided that this doom does not destabilize the Earth's crust too much, several more thousands (or hundreds of thousands) will survive in underground bunkers. I don't see 2-2.5 years as being sufficient time for saving a significant portion of humanity by any means, short of adverting this doom. Edit: As for me, if the chance of survival exists, curiosity will drive me to try to survive just to see what comes after. If there is no chance, then I will enjoy my time on Earth and not give a fuck about anything, though in the end, as the doom hits, I would probably scream, and rage, and curse whatever deity decided to end us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercenaryChef Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Finally get that murderous cult together I have always wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Durckad Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Lots of sucking, screwing, and shooting. Might not necessarily be in that order, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerenthaClone Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 In this hypothetical scenario, did scientists just announce that the doom is 2-2.5 years away? Or is it an internationally recognized fact? Because if the case is the former, then world leaders will spend all that time bickering about the truth of what the scientists said, and then everyone dies. In Seveneves, all of the world's major countries come to the conclusion that Earth is fucked right around the same time, and make a joint press release about it. Basically, absolutely every major world leader and scientific body says "yep, definitely, 2-3 years". Imagine NASA, ESA, and Roscosmos, plus every other country that has an astronomer, all independently telling their governments, in no uncertain terms, that everything is fucked. Also, in-universe, the Neil deGrasse Tyson analog is way, way more influential and popular than the real one and he's one of the first people to come up with the theory. The governments get on board really quickly. And I don't know. Honestly, I'd probably keep going to work. If the world's going to end, might as well try and get as many people home to their families first. I'd def spend more time hiking, though. I don't know how on-board with working non-stop on an Ark project I'd be. I think that's the kind of thing I'd have no way of knowing until it happened. Keep some semblance of sanity, get mad as fuck at anyone that tries to fuck people over for fun in the last two years, I dunno. Try to hold normalcy together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex. Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Some people would freak out, for sure. Personally I don't think I would be all that worried about it because there would be no point in worrying about it. The main thing that sucks about death is that you leave behind friends and family (or they leave you) and all of the interesting things to explore in life. If life were going to be extinguished on the planet in one cataclysmic event, that takes away the 'missing out on life' element of death. The movie Melancholia is kind of about this sort of scenario. It's on Netflix. I don't know if it is for everyone but I liked it.Basically exactly this. There's nothing to be done about it and you're not leaving anyone behind.I'd argue that more than anything else the prospect of a planet wide death would mean we could all stop worrying and relax for the first time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 If necessity truly is the mother of invention, I think we could pool enough geniuses together to save at least a portion of humanity. I don't think it would be pretty trying to decide who gets saved. Unfortunately, altruism isn't as commonplace a we all would hope it to be. The question I have, would it be better to be saved or sink with the ship? That would be one extremely interesting social experiment for those saved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A True Kaniggit Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 If the moon is trying to take us out, I say we take it out first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhangel Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Why on earth (no pun intended) should billions of people spend their last years pooling their efforts so that Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch and a few thousand other super-rich arseholes get to survive the apocalypse? Because that's who would end up getting to go into these 'orbital habitats' - the rich and the powerful. Fuck 'em. Let's have a two year party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MerenthaClone Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Why on earth (no pun intended) should billions of people spend their last years pooling their efforts so that Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch and a few thousand other super-rich arseholes get to survive the apocalypse? Because that's who would end up getting to go into these 'orbital habitats' - the rich and the powerful. Fuck 'em. Let's have a two year party. Presumably because anyone trying to work on planning for an actual Ark would realize that if it appeared that the superrich would be the only ones to benefit, the rest of the world would have your attitude. If you want your Ark (or Arklet swarm) to succeed, you must make people think it is the last, best hope for humanity. This means convincing people that only "worthy" people will be chosen, which pretty much precludes the superrich, because, frankly, nobody thinks Trump could survive in space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 MC,In the book the "Crater Lake Accord" bans the super-rich and super powerful from the "Swarm Ark". It sticks with a couple of exceptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 I'm now visualising someone sticking George R.R. Martin on an ark in order to finish the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kindly Old Man Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Presumably because anyone trying to work on planning for an actual Ark would realize that if it appeared that the superrich would be the only ones to benefit, the rest of the world would have your attitude. If you want your Ark (or Arklet swarm) to succeed, you must make people think it is the last, best hope for humanity. This means convincing people that only "worthy" people will be chosen, which pretty much precludes the superrich, because, frankly, nobody thinks Trump could survive in space. Who cares if it's the superrich or the "worthy"? If it's not me/the people I care about I fail to see why the abstract idea that 'humanity will survive' is supposed to motivate me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhangel Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Presumably because anyone trying to work on planning for an actual Ark would realize that if it appeared that the superrich would be the only ones to benefit, the rest of the world would have your attitude. If you want your Ark (or Arklet swarm) to succeed, you must make people think it is the last, best hope for humanity. This means convincing people that only "worthy" people will be chosen, which pretty much precludes the superrich, because, frankly, nobody thinks Trump could survive in space. But what makes you think that most people would put an abstract goal like the survival of humanity over enjoying the last precious months of their lives? We can barely get people to pay attention to climate change as it is, and that's without the near absolute certainty that the vast, vast majority of us are already inescapably doomed. I'm sure you're right, that's the line the politicians and anyone who thought they actually had a shot at getting a ride out would take, but I don't think it would ultimately be very effective. Most people don't care enough to prioritise the survival of the human race as an abstract goal; they care about quality of life for themselves and their loved ones. If the human race dies out - so what? We're all dead anyway, and frankly the planet is probably better off without us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Solmyr,No, the Moon has exploded and is slowly breaking into smaller and smaller pieces that will eventually fall to Earth in a "Hard Rain" that will destroy virtually everything on the planet. The rubble of the Moon hangs in the sky like the sword of Damocles as a constant reminder of what is coming. Except that we could probably do something about that. The Songs of Distant Earth had something go wrong with the Sun instead. Mind you, an interesting scenario is Pohl's Bucketful of Air situation: a random large object pulls the Earth out of its orbit and sends it flying off into inter-stellar space. It'd take a while for the Earth to freeze, of course, and there would be the opportunity for some survival in geothermal areas... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 Arkhangel,On a long enough time line the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. Why do anything if that's your attitude? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arakan Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 But what makes you think that most people would put an abstract goal like the survival of humanity over enjoying the last precious months of their lives? We can barely get people to pay attention to climate change as it is, and that's without the near absolute certainty that the vast, vast majority of us are already inescapably doomed. I'm sure you're right, that's the line the politicians and anyone who thought they actually had a shot at getting a ride out would take, but I don't think it would ultimately be very effective. Most people don't care enough to prioritise the survival of the human race as an abstract goal; they care about quality of life for themselves and their loved ones. If the human race dies out - so what? We're all dead anyway, and frankly the planet is probably better off without us.I agree with you but I think it's telling a lot about our attitude towards life nowadays, at least in the rich first world. We live in a time full of materialism, narcissism, hedonism and unless very directly confronted death is not part of our daily life. In short: we live in times were nothing is bigger than my ego, not even god. Go back a hundred years and you will see a quite different mindset: one's own life is just a drop in the ocean, it's nothing. And from your 5 kids, it was quite likely that 2-3 won't reach their teenage years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kindly Old Man Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Arkhangel,On a long enough time line the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. Why do anything if that's your attitude? To enjoy yourself while you're here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ser Scot A Ellison Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share Posted June 30, 2015 KOM,That's mighty self centered. You wouldn't want to give humanity a chance to survive, even a slim one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhangel Posted June 30, 2015 Share Posted June 30, 2015 Arkhangel,On a long enough time line the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. Why do anything if that's your attitude? Isn't what happens on a short time line the entire point of your hypothetical? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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