The Limitations of Perception
What humans can perceive is not reality in full, but our own picture of reality, constructed by our brains from clues to reality collected by
Our planet is finite. There is a finite surface, finite resources, and even finite time.
On a planet without humans, there would be as little as 25 million years remaining for any complex life.
It took until around the 1700s for many to know the finite surface, and until the 20th century for many to consider implications of finite resources and think sustainability. One finite planet is about the next step: recognising that time is also finite and, even provided humanity does nothing to end things prematurely, there is as little as 2% of the time Earth can support now remaining. Sustainability alone, is a death sentence.
What humans can perceive is not reality in full, but our own picture of reality, constructed by our brains from clues to reality collected by
Our planet is finite. There is a finite surface, finite resources, and even finite time.
On a planet without humans, there would be as little as 25 million years remaining for any complex life.
It took until around the 1700s for many to know the finite surface, and until the 20th century for many to consider implications of finite resources and think sustainability. One finite planet is about the next step: recognising that time is also finite and, even provided humanity does nothing to end things prematurely, there is as little as 2% of the time Earth can support now remaining. Sustainability alone, is a death sentence.
Over the past 2 days I been given a view of the possible future of medicine, attending two lectures: ‘2084: Future Medicine’ and ‘Nanotainment‘. I
There is a dream, often explored in science fiction, where humanity inhabits not just one planet, but many.
While the dream is still centuries away, as is ‘Earth 2.0‘, the reality, working towards small outposts on Mars or the Moon or even beyond is overwhelming compelling and can provide many rewards.
Humanity may get back up outposts, but for centuries, will have no real second home, and over 99% of us will still need to live on our one finite planet.
The actor Morgan Freeman has declared he is determined to produce a movie based on the novel ‘Rendevous with Rama’ by Arthur C Clarke. Great