We’ve had a few extinction events, and I suspect even the Holocene extinction event (which is already in progress) will not be as bad as the Permian–Triassic.
Right now, three possibilities are in the running to kill off humans:
~ Climate-change induced famine and drought
~ Nuclear escalation (The US is looking at broader options… using low-yield nuclear weapons in a regional conflict)
~ AI takeover, which will likely look like the owner class developing armies of murderbots to annex the world before the AI accidentally determines they are a target as well. (And less so the Yudkowsky and Soares scenario.)
But humans are more likely to do what Homo Erectus did and go through a low population phase. They had a population less than 10,000 for millennia for a while before expanding again, only to get wiped out by competition with their cousins.
But even if humans die, life on earth will regrow across millions of years, and may even evolve intelligence and technology.
Yeah, I don’t think you would. Many post-apocalyptic stories “forget” that most technology requires global supply lines that shouldn’t exist anymore. Even just food, water and electricity would be non-trivial depending on the scenario. Definitely not exciting
Hmm… No most post apoc fiction is mindful of these issues.
My main concern is that most novels have a token nerdy / accountant type who’s role is to demonstrate how useless our skills are in a post apocalyptic wasteland. That’s me really. An accountant.
I’d say even a techie would quickly end up with useless skills. Today’s devices rarely allow tinkering and damage is often permanent. In SciFi robots can be fixed or manipulated simply with changing some cables in their back. Anyone who’s been working in robotics knows this is almost impossible. Same with hacking into computer systems. There are some exceptions of course.
I was thinking of the Mad Max universe that still has gasoline even though it goes stale within 6 months in reality. Doesn’t make these universes and stories bad, but also not realistic. Real apocalypse sucks.
The five oldest professions will be forever: Farmers, soldiers, kings, courtesans, and accountants. The first three rely on the bean counters to make sure that everything is where it belongs.
We’ve had a few extinction events, and I suspect even the Holocene extinction event (which is already in progress) will not be as bad as the Permian–Triassic.
Right now, three possibilities are in the running to kill off humans:
~ Climate-change induced famine and drought
~ Nuclear escalation (The US is looking at broader options… using low-yield nuclear weapons in a regional conflict)
~ AI takeover, which will likely look like the owner class developing armies of murderbots to annex the world before the AI accidentally determines they are a target as well. (And less so the Yudkowsky and Soares scenario.)
But humans are more likely to do what Homo Erectus did and go through a low population phase. They had a population less than 10,000 for millennia for a while before expanding again, only to get wiped out by competition with their cousins.
But even if humans die, life on earth will regrow across millions of years, and may even evolve intelligence and technology.
A “low population phase” is a nice way to say “post apocalypse”.
I really enjoy this genre of fiction, but I don’t think I would enjoy it IRL.
Yeah, I don’t think you would. Many post-apocalyptic stories “forget” that most technology requires global supply lines that shouldn’t exist anymore. Even just food, water and electricity would be non-trivial depending on the scenario. Definitely not exciting
Hmm… No most post apoc fiction is mindful of these issues.
My main concern is that most novels have a token nerdy / accountant type who’s role is to demonstrate how useless our skills are in a post apocalyptic wasteland. That’s me really. An accountant.
I’d say even a techie would quickly end up with useless skills. Today’s devices rarely allow tinkering and damage is often permanent. In SciFi robots can be fixed or manipulated simply with changing some cables in their back. Anyone who’s been working in robotics knows this is almost impossible. Same with hacking into computer systems. There are some exceptions of course.
I was thinking of the Mad Max universe that still has gasoline even though it goes stale within 6 months in reality. Doesn’t make these universes and stories bad, but also not realistic. Real apocalypse sucks.
My passion is full-stack but high-level programming.
In the apocalypse, I’ll be okay at lifting and carrying things.
The five oldest professions will be forever: Farmers, soldiers, kings, courtesans, and accountants. The first three rely on the bean counters to make sure that everything is where it belongs.
You have job security.
I can keep track of how much food everyone should be getting. In exchange for more food.
Futurama episode 1 timelapse but remove the aliens