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Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-25 16:32:21 (edited 2007-10-25 16:33:18)
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I've been thinking. We can make cell phones as small as your palm and cameras and chips as small as your fingertips. Yet we still can't cure things that we have been working on for decades like Aids or cancer and stuff. You know we always see these donations saying, we can find a cure, but can we? Our cars are the same has they been for years and we can't find alternative sources. We haven't found anything to cure diease. Can mankind go farther and ever come close to what we see in movies. Or will we be like we are now?  
"It's better to be used, then to be useless." |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-25 17:20:42 (edited 2007-10-25 17:24:15)
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There's always a limit. The limit is the space we live in. Have we found the limit? I don't think it's possible to find the limit during a species's time. The cure for AIDs, Cancer, and the stuff you mention... The medical field, believe it or not, is still "technologically" new. Standards have been recently placed over how doctors are to perform operations, clean instruments and such. Back then in WWI and WWII, if you take a look in how doctors and nurses used their instruments and first aid kits, you'd be appalled about how grotesque it is. Your car argument fails the true premises test. Noticed most cars now have over 200 horsepower? Toyota now uses 6-speed transmissions in their Camry and Avalon models. The new ZapX car coming in the near 2010 is completely battery powered and only takes 10 mins to charge at a fuel station. 300 miles per charge; that's about how long normal cars go. 0 to 60 acceleration is at 3 seconds. A new "turbulence" method is created to guarantee a cleaner and more efficient burn in the engine. There are now hybrid cars on the road. Chevy makes FlexiFuel cars. There's a steam engine soon available for cars by harnessing the inefficient heat produced by the fuel engine. There are more out there. Some are listed on the Technology Mags like Popular Science. Alternative sources for power like solar have been improved over and over again. In fact, with the current technology we have, Solar power can produce enough electricity for the whole world some XX times over. There are tidal wave electric generators by the way. Sorry, I'm extremely tired and I'm not thinking straight... I'll return to this topic soon. I know there's more to share lol but my noggin is currently running low on fuel. :p  |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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Like Skyl said we have improved in those fields and there are alternative methods to gasoline. Also haven't you heard of the new medical craze over the cold saline injections? Remember that NFL star who went headlong into a player and collapsed? Well if it weren't for the cold saline he would've been paralyzed but the cold saline prevented any swelling thus keeping the vertebrae in place.  |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-25 22:21:40 |
I believe that everyhting in this world is limited but we can still find ways to go beyond those limits.. 
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-25 23:08:48 |
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providing we survive sufficiently long as a species, technology will undoubtedly continue to progress with only the laws of physics as limitations. it is entirely conceivable that human beings could explore the galaxy and even outlast our sun. how likely this may be is another matter altogether. hunger, genetic diseases, viruses, bacteria, parasites, prion disease, injury, and aging all can be targeted by medical science. doing away with any one of these causes of disease in a complete way is not likely. for example, in principal, medicine has the potential to fix genetic defects (undesired mutations in an otherwise desirable human embryo). significant solutions to many current problems, such as aids, hunger, malaria (a parasite), and cancer may be decades away. still, these problems are not likely to vanish completely, at least not for a very long time. the earth has the ability to sustain tens of billions of humans, if we are careful stewards of its resources. one question worth asking is, how many people should there be? on a global level, it does make sense to me that we perform careful "family planning". 
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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by
 
on 2007-10-26 02:10:21 |
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You cannot expect humans to be absolutely brilliant in breaking discoveries. Sure the RESOURCES i.e. MONEY is limited, since the medical organisations and charity organisations encourage people to donate for the benefit of mankind and to avoid such threatening diseases by keep on funding the project. What's UNLIMITED is our IDEAS AND SOLVING SKILLS. Without them, heck, we'll be foolish from the start we began to possess the abilty to think. The way you stated "we haven't found anything to cure disease" is pessimistic and shallow, I have to say. Without aspirin, pregnant mothers and her newborn babies will die altogether~ that's the royal families' disaster because of unknown in medical science. So the Renaissance began the study of medicine and other medical sciences to improve quality of life. I see bacterias and viruses as living tiny beings of life. It's not like a piece of metal, which it won't hurt you if you hold it, it's dead and still--- bacterias and viruses live within humans and animals and other species of the animal kingdom. They can live and survive and can do anything--- like humans. They won't die, cuz they can reproduce real quick. Even if a medicine destroys the main viruses, they will come back. Because our body is their world abundant of nutrients they need. |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-26 04:51:23 |
| What kind of topic is this? I suddenly got scared... Apocalypse/ Ragnarok/ Judgement Day suddenly came out of my mind... Well, the Bible says its true so, that's it... Gotta live life to the fullest...=) |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-26 04:53:00 |
For my opinion, YES.. there is a limit on mankind because we cannot interfere with the very laws of nature!  |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-26 05:11:18 |
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@SkyL your right in the fact that they have made cars with alternative sourses for power, however most of them has sucked like the electeric car. I know that they are trying to improve on it, the only problem is unless you give everyone a car not many peopole can get it.
"It's better to be used, then to be useless." |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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I think every human DEVELOPMENT itself is limited. For example the fire-arm as a handheld way to disable another human. I saw this documentary which showed the (western) evolution of gunpowder-based weapons. The general idea was that the "gun" (rifles, cannons, etc.) is closing in to its final stage of evolution. There are still enough ways improvements are made; flechette-cartridges instead of bullets, mechanical parts details or the material used for certain parts. But essentailly "this is it"; soon guns won't get any better in an absolute way. While we can say our modern firearms are better at the (nasty) job than earlier weapons using the same idea of ballistics and chemical energy, nowadays any improvement in one way will go at the cost of some other. So the "netto" usefullness is reaching a max. The next step being more of a jump towards "something else"; using magnetic propulsion for the ballistic effect of some projectile. Or changing from ballistic to beam-weapons. I think the same goes for cars. They can only get so efficient or comfortable or whatever before they start to go at the cost of each-other. The idea itself reaches developmental stagnation and some jump towards a new idea of transportating must be made. In a way the same goes for sciences with their paradigma's and research-programmes. And maybe (under influance of resources, economics, biology, technology, etc.) the same goes for humans themselves... |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-28 11:23:27 |
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@Darkstranger That's why people have branched to so many alternatives to research and improve the technology. Give it some time or either that, you can join the field and help out rather than complain about it. Go become a level 3 thinker and not a level 2. @marzad The magnetic propulsion gun is called a Rail Gun. They already have those. Besides the term gun is limited to ballistics only. The military already is developing laser cannons (note I said CANNONS and not guns cause cannons isn't limited to only ballistics) to place on aircraft fighters. In 5 years or so, we maybe finding a actual Falken aircraft in the air (reference to Ace Combat). Second, car prices. What you have said about costs and whatnot, the point of competition is to bring the price down. Ever wonder why the US government never lets only one company control a market? I'm not even gonna mention the rest of the developments. I think it's useless. I'm gonna give you the same comment as I did to darks: Why don't you go join the field and help out rather than complain about it. Be a level 3 thinker (the one that gives solutions) rather than a level 2 thinker (the one that complains and tears things apart while not even helping). Do you ever wonder why professional critics have only these jobs? That's because they are level 3 thinkers. They tear things down while helping out and giving their own opinions about how something can be better. |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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@Skyl The weapon I describe might just as well be called a gauss-gun(/-rifle), the term "rail-gun" is used mainly in computergames if I'm not mistaking. And by your own definition of "gun" you shouldn't call it a gun ofcoarse, so let's drop the whole "what it's called" debate. FYI: lasers -I'm afraid- are allready heavily outdated. They have been put to use in missile-defence since over (at least) a decade, indeed often placed within aircraft, unfortunately it is a very inefficient and cumbersome technology. So this comes back to my point exactely: finding niches, reaching ceilings and jumping the chasms; pushing limitations and driving evolution. Actually my message was intended to be quite optimistic; "Let's get to it, baby!!!" By the way, I think the main point of competition is to bring quality and R&D (and in the long run, wellfare and wellbeing) up. And Europe has the greatest automotive production of the world. Even tough I myself am not always that fond of the US culture, economy nor their political and militairy interventions,.. except for their airline-industry, service export (banking, education, etc.), weapons manufacturing and ofcoarse their entertainment industry, the US isn't all that in absolute control of anything really, as many people like to believe nowadays. But let's save this for another thread. And please, don't forget I was making an analysis of "limitation" in human development and endeavour -as is the subject of this thread- instead of just spouting critique. I have reread my last post and found not one instance of "complaint or tearing things apart". So Skyl, be a good lvl-3 thinker and start posting some interesting comments of yourself instead of complaining about other people's posts, tearing posts out of their context and not helping this thread in any way. |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-29 05:55:03 (edited 2007-10-29 05:55:18)
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That's exactly what I have been doing. Besides you're doing the same now aren't you? :p Rail guns isn't a computer game terminology, it's actually a term used in the military. Also, it's real. It's loaded on to the new Lockheed Martin cruiser in the US Navy. Second, laser technology on a missile? I think you and I are thinking about different things. What I was talking about is a actual laser cannon. You know, the one from video games. Right now, it's pretty useless since laser weaponry itself is still in its' early stages of development. Lastly, I was answering to the thread question itself with my own comments about it in my arguments. In my last 2 posts, it's pretty evident that I'm in favor of the idea that there's no limits to human advancement. I'm just sharing my thoughts to others like darkstranger and yourself. Darkstranger understands (or should :p) that I think like that. Anyways, sorry if my posts sound insulting to you, all I was doing is sharing what I "know." As for being a level 3 thinker, I'm working on it. |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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Well, insulting is too big a word for replies like ours. Especially for an Internet forum I believe we're being good sports. But I did find it somewhat patronizing. Hence my little reverse and stuff. But I hope you took it pretty well, for I know I can be quite snappy sometimes. So, let me apologize if I got a little too antagonistic myself. Look at how considerate and polite we can be with a little goodwill, on an Internet forum(!), maybe there is hope for mankind afterall :p There certainly are some hefty weapons in use at the moment and many more mindboggling in development indeed. Like, I saw something called "metal-storm" (or something like that) which was in fact just a big box filled with row after row of barrels, each containing lots of bullets and could spew them out in devastating volley; a real hailstorm of metal! And of coarse we know the "goalkeeper", that computerguided-faster than life-spews out so many bullets so fast there is less space betwéén the bullets than their size, making it shoot almost a continious line of metal, which some dutch navy frigates carry. But all these are still within a certain technological process, tradition I would almost say. And therefore are still probably subject to the ceiling-idea that it's got to stop somewhere; different applications may lead to new forms but no better ratio use/cost will be obtained. Owh! Btw, I meant frikkin' lasers ON frikkin' planes to shoot DOWN the missiles. But last thing I heard they were going from lasers to grazers (gamma-radiation-laser), which are way more destructive (especially for flesh :S )But if I had to equip my killer sharks, I'd still go for frikkin' lasers of coarse! "nascentes morimur, finisque [of] origine pendent" I must have some spelling wrong for my latin ain't that good, but I remember something in the line of this being the words on somebody's grave. It sort of means "we die from the moment we are born, the end determined by the beginning". So it could be for most technologies I believe. Let me formulate this with a little less commitment than I ussually do for the sake of discussion; (Do you people think it could be that) From the very first moment somebody thinks of something new, in a certain way the "endproduct" as it will be in its most developed state is allready embedded in it? And I don't mean this question as asking you to believe in determinism or platonic realities or anything, but whether you believe there is a point when something becomes something élse. I too believe there is no end to progress (any time soon that is) at least in a sense of process; "now being done" and "being carried on". Things, people, era's, will come and go. Mostly with a great deal of continuity which glues all these events in time together to be one history. But sometimes changes are so abrupt, meaningfull or consequential, we need to speak about it in new terms. Old vs new, end followed by beginning; limits. I find I'm having difficulty formulating my question so maybe you will understand with a analogy: Q: is there a limit to (endeavours of, evolution of) humankind? A: did the homo-erectus or any other non-sapiens ancestor of ours turn out to have a limit in the end or do we continue to be their living legacy? (Yes! I do sometimes even wonder myself what I'm babbling about... Anybody?) |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-29 14:10:34 |
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Haha, I get that myself sometimes too XD Yea the "metal-storm" is real. Though I think the military already came up with a better name than that now. It's a hydrogen powered artillery gun if I'm not mistaken. I remember guns aren't propelled just by gunpowder anymore. I remember there are now hydrogen filled shells that accelerate the bullet even faster (along with a insane amount of recoil) to go along with the traditional gunpowder. My question is, why not just make the bullet explosive? :p Like I said lasers completely blow as of now, but what's funny is that, I took a broken CD writer drive's laser module and placed some few magnifiers (I believe x4 and a x2 making the power x8). I researched about the amount of power the laser needed to operate normally and then I up'ed the voltage to 6V (originally at 4.5V). I shoved that contraption into a barrel and shot it onto a piece of paper (with a cardboard behind it of course). That paper was gone (hehehehehehe >:D). I wrote my name on it >XD ! I'll post a piccy on here or on the hand made thingy someday. You'll be like... >___>; Anyways, I went off topic >.>; No, there is no limit to the limits of humans. I have a feeling that even the laws of today, which bounds us all, will eventually be broken. It's just that, we haven't proved it yet. Hehe *highfive* marzad. BTW: I can't help you with Latin. I have never taken it XD. I'm taking Japanese instead :p |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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Dude! A CD writer laser? That actually worked?!? Go McGyver instincts! Now I know there is no end to human ingenuity. But really, I prefer the name "Metal-Storm"... makes it sound rock 'n roll! We are allready focusing on the somewhat violent side of human development, so let me ask you what else is word? You've all heard about the wave-thingies that can make people puke, cramp up, shit their pants, or in some other version cook them from the inside out, that kind of stuff? Or the pain-gun that vaporizes just a microscopical layer of skin which releases molecules (or ions or whatever) that react with the pain-nerves? This all resulting in excruciating pain but no more than some temporal redness of the skin. Moral implications anyone? :) Makes me wonder about limitations again... |
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-29 18:50:53 |
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SkyL, i've always wanted to do that! what did you use to control the laser?
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-29 19:05:57 |
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the things we can do up till now is our limits, think that beyond what we can do is unlimited so human have their limit to up what human can do and until everything can be done there is always limits to human 
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-29 19:19:26 |
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"the things we can do up till now is our limits..." Um, no, those would be our "accomplishments". "think that beyond what we can do is unlimited" Um, no, those would be out "limitations". "there is always limits to human" What does that mean, though? We aren't limited in the number of human babies that can be born each day. Food, water, shelter, and people's willingness to reproduce are the limiting factors. We get better at solving the problems of these limiting factors all the time (note my subtle sarcasm with the third factor).
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Re: Does mankind have a limit?
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on 2007-10-29 19:19:33 |
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I'll make a video tutorial for you guys then ^.^ I'll post it here once I'm done XD. Remember, it's a real laser gun after all of that tweaking XD |
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