Are we living the end of history?

Joined Nov 2017
234 Posts | 62+
Geneva, Switzerland
I just read Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man, he and several other authors present an interesting concept, that we are living in a world in which this current way of life will always continue with only a few small changes in the future.
On the wikipidia page the definition of the end of history is '' The concept of an end of history differs from ideas of an end of the world as expressed in various religions, which may forecast a complete destruction of the Earth or of life on Earth , and the end of the human race as we know it. The end of history instead proposes a state in which human life continues indefinitely into the future without any further major changes in society, system of governance, or economics. ''

I would like to know your opinion about this and how this idea of the end of history is related to other works such as Clash of Civilizations.
 
Joined Mar 2019
3,592 Posts | 2,048+
Kansas
I just read Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man, he and several other authors present an interesting concept, that we are living in a world in which this current way of life will always continue with only a few small changes in the future.
On the wikipidia page the definition of the end of history is '' The concept of an end of history differs from ideas of an end of the world as expressed in various religions, which may forecast a complete destruction of the Earth or of life on Earth , and the end of the human race as we know it. The end of history instead proposes a state in which human life continues indefinitely into the future without any further major changes in society, system of governance, or economics. ''

I would like to know your opinion about this and how this idea of the end of history is related to other works such as Clash of Civilizations.

I dont know if you noticed but there are some pretty major changes happening right in front of your eyes
 
Joined Apr 2017
4,479 Posts | 876+
Las Vegas, NV USA
Natural disasters will drive history even if human created disasters no longer happen.
 
Joined Sep 2013
726 Posts | 135+
Ontario, Canada
It's not the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.

Quite a bit more history to come, the human story isn't quite done yet.

The current global pandemic alone will cause an upheaval and shift in economic and social patterns the likes of which we haven't seen in generations.
 
Joined Nov 2016
5,776 Posts | 2,668+
Germany
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I just read Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man, he and several other authors present an interesting concept, that we are living in a world in which this current way of life will always continue with only a few small changes in the future.

Fukuyama is arguing that the social models of democracy and liberalism will establish as dominant models in the long run and will absorb models that deviate from them. It is not about "way of life".

It is difficult to argue against it if one does not want to fall into utopias or dystopias. We should bear in mind that the shift from monarchic-aristocratic systems to democratic systems was only achieved through violent revolutions. Such a mode of change is not really conceivable in the case of democracy and liberalism, since these systems are too stable and relatively humane, unlike the aforementioned systems which necessarily provoked a revolution at some point.

The current global pandemic alone will cause an upheaval and shift in economic and social patterns the likes of which we haven't seen in generations.

I think this is very exaggerated and just a product of wishful thinking. At the latest in one or two years after normalisation, things will be exactly the same as before. The only thing that will have changed is the capacity of the health systems, because their weakness has now become apparent.
 
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Joined Aug 2015
2,613 Posts | 195+
uk
The 20th century was arguably one of the most turbulent of all, but nothing stands still. As has been mentioned the current pandemic could easily be as significant a catalyst for change as was WW1. And what if alien contact is made? That could turn things on their head in an instant. But we haven't seen the last war, or shift in cultural behaviour or style of government.
 
Joined Apr 2010
50,502 Posts | 11,794+
Awesome
I just read Francis Fukuyama's The End of History and the Last Man, he and several other authors present an interesting concept, that we are living in a world in which this current way of life will always continue with only a few small changes in the future.
On the wikipidia page the definition of the end of history is '' The concept of an end of history differs from ideas of an end of the world as expressed in various religions, which may forecast a complete destruction of the Earth or of life on Earth , and the end of the human race as we know it. The end of history instead proposes a state in which human life continues indefinitely into the future without any further major changes in society, system of governance, or economics. ''

I would like to know your opinion about this and how this idea of the end of history is related to other works such as Clash of Civilizations.

No.
 
Joined Jan 2017
11,739 Posts | 5,015+
Sydney
Read the book a few years back , at the time I thought he was making a compelling case for some benign new world order
it would be based on peace , economic improvement and international cooperation
then there was Iraq , all the old demons reappeared smirking viciously
 
Joined Mar 2018
7,171 Posts | 8,202+
Inside a Heighliner
No. In fact, history is happening faster than ever. Look how quickly technology becomes obsolete, empires rise and fall, and ideologies shift. There are vastly more people alive now than ever before, even if we assume that people are not "doing more things" than before (which is probably false, as we have more tools and connections at our disposal than even) then there is vastly more stuff happening world wide. What is history if not this stuff, viewed from a few decades in the future?
 
Joined Oct 2011
40,550 Posts | 7,631+
Italy, Lago Maggiore
Even in the worse of the options ... history is not an exclusive property of the Human Species.
Any other intelligent species [terrestrial or not] can keep on writing history.

So ... may be we are living the end of human history, but not of history.
 
Joined Dec 2015
6,662 Posts | 1,295+
Buffalo, NY
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There’s talks of a return to normalcy within a month. There are others who have a prediction of doom and gloom and the end of the world.

I consider the great time of history such as the black death and how in those moments people felt the Second coming of Christ was near. Or how during World War II in Russia in 1941 and Germany in 1945 people felt it was the end of the world for sure. Now today we are faced with a virus of which the death rate is not anywhere near the death rate of the plagues and viruses of the past


History will tell us if the worldwide economic shut down was worth it. However long that I can have a History will tell us if the worldwide economic shut down was worth it. However long the shut down lasts it has had an effect on society as a whole. As someone who has been stuck in the hospital for over 30 days 12 of them being stuck directly in a hospital bed with nothing to do nowhere to go I have nothing to fear but fear itself and I say bring it on to this virus which will be utterly crushed. One can look back

As someone who has been stuck in the hospital for over 30 days 12 of them being stuck directly in a hospital bed with nothing to do nowhere to go I have nothing to fear but fear itself and I say bring it on to this virus which will be utterly crushed. One can look back To the 1918 Spanish flu which killed half of one percent of all Americans and some 2% of the worlds population. And yet during those times at least in the USA there was no economic shut down, it was a brand new virus just like this one today. Not the same virus but it was new to the world. President Woodrow Wilson never even mentioned a virus in large gatherings continue to add. Whether it be parades whether it be baseball games and all parts of the USA large gathering continued on even though that there wasn’t mass transport there were so many instances of people getting together in groups of more than 1000 in 1918. The world recovered from the 1918 Spanish flu and we will recover from the 2020 coronavirus. What we need is a return to normalcy

Of the 8 billion people in the world many are calm cool and collective others are in panic mode. Here we are the world governments right or wrong have made decisions to shut down the economy as well as so-called social distancing. Now considering the 1918 Spanish flu where there was no social distancing.

Considering Americas top medical expert in diseases has said it’s possible only 60,000 Americans will die from this virus well the hope is we will have a much less of a death rate from the coronavirus compared to the 1918 Spanish flu because of today’s economic shut down and social distancing measures. That is the massive difference between a 2020 reaction to the coronavirus in the 1918 reaction to the Spanish flu

Apologies for typos I cannot use my hands I cannot type with the keyboard at this moment but I will soon. I am recovering from a spinal injury
 
Joined Oct 2011
40,550 Posts | 7,631+
Italy, Lago Maggiore
@JoanOfArc007 ,
if you want a suggestion ... don't listen to Dr. Fauci. He's an old school scientist. It's not his fault, but it's a limit.
He uses math models which are almost prehistorical. In fact he has corrected his predictions [easy humor would be to comment "after reading tarots", but I don't like easy humor when I comment the work of a respected scientist and ... beyond humor, Dr. Fauci is a respected scientist].

This said, there is something that scientists keep "private". It's the factor of absolute humidity. It could make a difference from May on. Why? Because when absolute humidity increases flu disappears and the coronavirus generating .....-19 s a flu like virus.

This is why we are observing with great interest what's happening with the local outbreaks of .....-19 in equatorial Africa. There are in their dry season [so not high absolute humidity], but they are at the equator. So that what's going to happen in Senegal and surrounding countries in April is a test for what could happen here in June ...
 
Joined Dec 2015
6,662 Posts | 1,295+
Buffalo, NY
@JoanOfArc007 ,
if you want a suggestion ... don't listen to Dr. Fauci. He's an old school scientist. It's not his fault, but it's a limit.
He uses math models which are almost prehistorical. In fact he has corrected his predictions [easy humor would be to comment "after reading tarots", but I don't like easy humor when I comment the work of a respected scientist and ... beyond humor, Dr. Fauci is a respected scientist].

This said, there is something that scientists keep "private". It's the factor of absolute humidity. It could make a difference from May on. Why? Because when absolute humidity increases flu disappears and the coronavirus generating .....-19 s a flu like virus.

This is why we are observing with great interest what's happening with the local outbreaks of .....-19 in equatorial Africa. There are in their dry season [so not high absolute humidity], but they are at the equator. So that what's going to happen in Senegal and surrounding countries in April is a test for what could happen here in June ...

With regard to the doctor in question. He has provided . as high as 1 to 2,000,000 American deaths. As well as 100,000 to 200,000 American deaths. But now is the latest prediction could be as low as 60,000 American deaths which is right in line with what the flu kills in the United States of America. I also have concerns about the doctor in question..Could he be propping up pharmaceutical companies. And why are the numbers with regard to the estimates of deaths bouncing around so much. But we can hope for the best and this is very interesting because an American top doctor has recently said that as little as 60,000 Americans will die from this virus. No of course that’s no small number in those Americans have family members and they are fellow human beings.

With regards to countries in Africa not all of them But there is concern that some of those countries including by the way outside of Africa we can look at China at these countries and others are not providing the full reports or they cannot access full reports


With regards to the weather affect. That very well could play a role. But when one looks at New York City one has to realize that there is much international travel to the city which could explain why New York City has more corona cases in all states combined in the USA. Then again we have the many people in the USA we’ve got the virus and whoever covered and who are not a part of the reports. We will have to look at what happens, springtime and summer time will tell us more perhaps.


One major issue though is the economic shut down. There are folks in the USA and worldwide who live paycheck to paycheck that is a cause for concern. We need like we had in World War II a federal jobs program to pet fox One major issue though is the economic shut down. There are folks in the USA and worldwide who live paycheck to paycheck that is a cause for concern. We need like we had in World War II a federal jobs program to pet folks to work to create medical supplies and other things to help out. Considering that companies like Amazon continue just with temperature checks and social distancing we can at least do something to try and bring back the economy in some fashion


Hope all is well with you and your family stay safe and strong
 
Joined Dec 2015
6,662 Posts | 1,295+
Buffalo, NY
At the hospital I have been residing at. Just a few floors above me as the coronavirus floor. We have had brought in a few dozen patients. Unfortunately deaths have occurred but there have also been over a dozen people who have Recovered . The bravery and courage of everyone in this hospital from patients to doctors to dietary staff is astounding. It’s a feeling of courage versus this virus I have no doubt that we will win in that sense humanity will win
 
Joined Apr 2020
2,082 Posts | 809+
London
The major thing that does not get discussed these days is nuclear weapons.

The US has blurred the lines with their mini-nukes for obliterating smaller targets.

If a situation arises and it goes nuclear only the jungle peoples of South America and Africa will likely survive nearly everywhere else will be hit or subject to fatal radiation. Even Antarctica will likely be a target to prevent another nation of faction rising quickly.
 
Joined Mar 2019
3,592 Posts | 2,048+
Kansas
With regard to the doctor in question. He has provided . as high as 1 to 2,000,000 American deaths. As well as 100,000 to 200,000 American deaths. But now is the latest prediction could be as low as 60,000 American deaths which is right in line with what the flu kills in the United States of America. I also have concerns about the doctor in question..Could he be propping up pharmaceutical companies. And why are the numbers with regard to the estimates of deaths bouncing around so much. But we can hope for the best and this is very interesting because an American top doctor has recently said that as little as 60,000 Americans will die from this virus. No of course that’s no small number in those Americans have family members and they are fellow human beings.

Okay let be realistic. The two million prediction was based on infection rate/deaths from China. It also was a projection pre social distancing. It was also not a number the doctor came up with. It was a statistical prediction from an organization in the UK, that pretty much every country in the world is following.

The variance in the 200k 100k 60k are all based on deflecting the curve. It was also based on the health systems ability to cope. New York for example seems to have hit the apex a few days earlier than expected. That alone is a difference of a couple of thousand poor souls leaving us.
 
Joined Mar 2019
3,592 Posts | 2,048+
Kansas
At the hospital I have been residing at. Just a few floors above me as the coronavirus floor. We have had brought in a few dozen patients. Unfortunately deaths have occurred but there have also been over a dozen people who have Recovered . The bravery and courage of everyone in this hospital from patients to doctors to dietary staff is astounding. It’s a feeling of courage versus this virus I have no doubt that we will win in that sense humanity will win

I could not agree more. When humanity all starts pushing in the same direction towards a common goal, God help whatever is in the way.

I believe there are close to 60 vaccine and mitigation drugs already in clinical trials. We can be pretty smart primates when we want to be!!!!
 
Joined Oct 2011
40,550 Posts | 7,631+
Italy, Lago Maggiore
Statistically the real members of a history forum should survive to this outbreak of .....-19, since they tend to be quite lonely [they read, they type on the net ... when do they meet other persons?].

So probably the percentage incidence of cases in Historum popualtion will be quite low and mortality even lower.
 

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