[mateo1]

You can also allocate all this effort into preventing whatever apocalyptic scenario is likely to happen, but that's a lot less self-centered and forces you to accept uncomfortable truths about yourself and your place in society. It's much easier to daydream about being constrained by technical problems alone, and if you are realistic that's not going to be the biggest problem in any post-apocalyptic scenario. We'll still have toasters and solar panels, microscope slides and computers. That's not the problem. Even in that case, we won't have to reinvent the wheel.

[nostrademons]

I'm always entertained by the optimism of people that think they can prevent whatever apocalyptic scenario is likely to happen, but that'd force you to accept uncomfortable truths about yourself and your place in society.

Collapse is inherent in any system that undergoes unchecked exponential growth, and is more a function of ecology, population, game theory, and millions of years of human evolution. If it's going to happen, there's nothing that you as one of the 7+ billion humans alive on earth today can do to prevent it.

[imtringued]

The Egyptians didn't get the memo and failed to collapse from internal problems. Instead, they were conquered by an empire with internal problems that papers over problems by acquiring more land and gold mines.

> If it's going to happen, there's nothing that you as one of the 7+ billion humans alive on earth today can do to prevent it.

I'm one of the unreasonable people that is planning to do something about that. I consider ancient Egypt to be proof that the problem is neither ecology, population, game theory and millions of years of human evolution.

What I find particularly entertaining is that it would require me to develop "everything" from scratch in a destitute country. It ought to be impossible yet the amount of money needed to kick-start this development is something a person from silicon valley would laugh at.