Would like to see some votes let's put them up. Two options per user. If I missed anything you think is important let me know and I'll add it to a spreadsheet or something heh
Poll: what is the biggest challenge facing Western Civilization?
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Re: Poll: what is the biggest challenge facing Western Civilization?
I picked peak oil (though it probably could be "resources" in general) and censorship.
Censorship because it is impossible to solve conflicts in views without open discussion (which impacts some of the others).
Peak resources - well, modern civ relies on energy/resources. Not just peak oil, but if you look historically at mine output the levels have dropped over the past 50 years - using gold as an example the outputs have dropped from say 100+g/ton in the past to 20g/ton of ore. Peak oil, we're only discovering one barrel now for every 6 we burn (last statistic I recall) - as opposed to the huge discoveries in the early/mid 20th century. That can only go on for so long before the big older resources deplete. As the saying goes "we've picked all the easy to reach low-hanging fruit" - it's getting more and more expensive to get the "higher fruit". $150 oil would crush the world economy.
Censorship because it is impossible to solve conflicts in views without open discussion (which impacts some of the others).
Peak resources - well, modern civ relies on energy/resources. Not just peak oil, but if you look historically at mine output the levels have dropped over the past 50 years - using gold as an example the outputs have dropped from say 100+g/ton in the past to 20g/ton of ore. Peak oil, we're only discovering one barrel now for every 6 we burn (last statistic I recall) - as opposed to the huge discoveries in the early/mid 20th century. That can only go on for so long before the big older resources deplete. As the saying goes "we've picked all the easy to reach low-hanging fruit" - it's getting more and more expensive to get the "higher fruit". $150 oil would crush the world economy.
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Re: Poll: what is the biggest challenge facing Western Civilization?
I think demographics combined with peak resources are an absolute killing blow if you want my opinion. I voted for curtailing of rights however because free speech is what Western Civilization will lose the soonest and being so intrinsic to our culture, is the most ominous.