Peak of human civilization?

[one_raven]

What do you think?

Have we reached it and lost it some time in the last?
Are we experiencing it right now?
Has it not yet come?

If it has passed:
When was it?
Why do you consider that the peak?
How/Why did we lose it?
Was losiong it inevitable, or could we have avoided it?
Can we get it back? How?
Are you doing your part? How?

If it is now:
What makes now the peaK?
What threatens it?
Do you think we will hang onto it?
What do we have to do to hang onto it?
Are you doing your part? How?

If it is still yet to come:
What threatens its advent?
What still has to happen for us to experience it?
Are you doing your part? How?

[one_raven]

Originally posted by Dearprudence
Do you care?

Do you not care?

[ProCop]

Me optimist:
We are a part of the universe the universe is still young so I think there is still a long way to go. Important moment was the invention of writing - from that time till now the level of knowlede and understanding was increasing only very gradually (like building an anthill) (long flat peak?)

so we didn't have a real peak in the past yet
we are not at peak now
when/whether it will come in the future is looking beyond the horizont

Me pessimist
It can be that there was a peak and we are declinig from it: the peak would be then placed to the time of Hegel (last big philosoph who understood all) now the knowledge is piecesmall in parts a no one knows/understands all. As Einstein said about knowlege: the bigger the circle of light the bigger the perimeter of darkness which surrounds it

[airavata]

My guess is the peak of human civilization has not yet arrived. We can only reasonably say that human civilization has reached its peak when the majority of the human race is prosperous. Hence the greek or egyptian or roman civilization can't be said to be the peak of human civilization. I hope it will come one day in the future.

I guess the situation which we're witnessing right now- deep mistrust among traditional allies over Iraq; terrorism assuming much greater proportions than it has ever before; deep mistrust again between the muslim world and the west- the peak of civilization can never be reached with all these problems. What we need is intl. unity- something which will never happen.

Tolerance must be practised before it can be achieved. A little selflesness wouldn't hurt. However these things seem so improbable I wonder if we will ever reach that peak at all.

In truth I'm not doing anything significant to this effect. I never litter the road, unlike most of the people here. I guess that's my contribution- so far.

We probably never will reach the standards we are potentially capable of. Maybe the human race will reach its peak, and we won't even realise it. I guess this can only be guaged through retrospection.

[Squashbuckler]

Originally posted by ProCop
[B
peak would be then placed to the time of Hegel (last big philosoph who understood all) [/B]

Oh god no!
Not hegel.
;)

[sparkle]

What civilization? Do you REALLY think we have a civilization? :bugeye:

[Siddhartha]

We have a long way to go yet. Weapons still exist.

[Euthyphro]

Doesn't a peak of civilization require a universal set of values? I think values lack not only universality but immortality. My values aren't yours, and my values today aren't mine tomorrow. The peak is just the time best embodying our values.

[RubixCubed]

since the begining of history, civilisation was on it's way nowhere. we've just been improving the shell, but not what's within. so the shell society wears today is "better" than the one the greek civilisation used, but it's still empty. there's gonna have to be something to revolutionize the world like nothing before to actually send humanity on the right path.

[patty-rick]

We have a long way to go yet. Weapons still exist.

weapons will always exist, physical mental or who knows how else weapons will exist in the future they have always been around and will always be they are merely things used to attack or defend as i am attacking u (to some degree) with my intelliect as the most powerful weapon of humans.

[Dr Lou Natic]

I think it is now.
But that is very telling of how sad our history is.
Hopefully future peaks will be alot more worthy of the title "peak".

[Redoubtable]

The peak, or zenith, of a given civilization, in this case the entirety of humanity, can only be assessed once the civilization has depreciated and ultimately collapsed utterly.
I mean to say, you can't very well determine the height of a pyramid if you're basically a block in it. A block in a pyrmaid can't confidently assert where it is located in the structure.
Only observers separated by distance can regard the pyramid intelligently and judiciously and provide an evaluation of its dimensions.

The Romans living in circa 80 A.D. almost definitely never conceived that they might be the figurative apex of all Rome's history. However, I, an observer whose scrutiny is facilitated by separation in space and time, can assert that they probably were.

The observers who can justifiably examine our contrivances, conceptions, ideology, protocal, and constructs in this manner can also categorize us as into certain region of our historical pyramid. The priveleged intellects that will do so aren't yet in existence, however.

[Siddhartha]

Originally posted by patty-rick
weapons will always exist, physical mental or who knows how else weapons will exist in the future they have always been around and will always be they are merely things used to attack or defend as i am attacking u (to some degree) with my intelliect as the most powerful weapon of humans. To the Buddhist, the mind is not a weapon, but a tool for improvement.

[Redoubtable]

Ooooohhh, well, guess what!

Buddhists aren't really too important when it comes down to the progress of human kind, and I am totally unconcerned with their opinion.

So now I'm going to use my fingers as scathing little pernicious weapons to type a vulgar, profane, and acidulous message against what you just stated.

FUCK YOUR GODDAMNED "BUDDHIST" AND WHATEVER HE THINKS!

[river-wind]

I would argue that buhdism beliefs have a had a huge impact on the social evolusion of Eastern/central asia, and a pretty big impact on the western world over the past 50 years.

There is also some evidence that during the missing timeframe of Jesus's life (I think 16-28 years of age, during which time he "traveled east to study"), he spent time learning buhdism-like religions, if not buddism itself.

don't knock it 'til you've tried it.


http://www.ycsi.net/users/reversespins/teenageJesus.html
http://www.cin.org/archives/apolo/200111/0046.html
http://www.spinninglobe.net/jesuseast.htm


edit:
haha! I found this also:
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13517&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

[Euthyphro]

I don't think the problem with Siddhartha's post has anything to do with Buddhism, it was just sort of silly that he said it was a buddhist thought. A hammer isn't a weapon, but I can still beat you to death with it. Oh, wait, maybe that means it -is- a weapon since it can be used for that purpose. Or maybe that means it's not a tool, either, it's just a chunk of metal with no purpose until it's used for something. So the brain isn't a weapon or a tool: it's brain-flavored slushie mix.

[river-wind]

a weapon is a tool when the goal is to destroy something. just because the goal is destruction doesn't make the device used no longer a tool.

a mind is a tool. I'd say it is always a weapon, just pointed at different things. when you are improving your mind, you are using it as a weapon against ignorance. when you are using it to plan attack routes, it is a weapon against your enemy.
it is also never a weapon, as it only stays with in your skull, and does not function very well as a direct implimentation of destruction ("hah! I attack you with this mass of fatty lipids!" swing-squish! "ewwwww, man, that's just gross!"). The brain requires other items to carry out it's desires, it can do very little on it's own, IME.

[river-wind]

Originally posted by Redoubtable
The peak, or zenith, of a given civilization, in this case the entirety of humanity, can only be assessed once the civilization has depreciated and ultimately collapsed utterly.

on topic, this is the, IMO, best possible answer to this question.

[Redoubtable]

I'm sorry that I slandered buddhism, but I was simply try to show the absurdity of what Siddartha wrote.

[Euthyphro]

What's wrong with slandering buddhism? It's about the lessons and the understanding, not the name and the formalized beliefs. Most buddhist teachers will slander buddhism if you ask them the right question.

[moving]

To many questions and not enough information.

What civilization? Do you REALLY think we have a civilization?

No, we will have a civilization when earths colony of humans reaches a homeostasis.
Doesn’t seem likely though. Sounds boring too.

We have a long way to go yet. Weapons still exist.

A hammer will exist as a weapon only as long as we use it as one.