Do you think a virus will ultimately be responsible for the destruction of civilisation as we know it?

No, I think it's more likely that civilization will find some other way to reach its end.

I don't know. Does civilization mean civilized people only? :)

No. I didn't follow the link. I think the destruction of civilization as we know it (and it will happen, history demonstrates this) will come as a result of human greed, stupidity, and foolhardy self-confidence. I predict a technological/economic breakdown which will essentially reverse the present state of affairs, so that 3rd world countries will be at the top.

I actually think it will be a comet or other natural disaster. That volcano under Yellowstone Park is worrying!

Not a biological virus per se, but the virus that is the idea (aka a meme) of human superiority over nature will destroy civilization as we know it in the next 100 years. Some would say it already has, given the huge sociological changes in the industrialized world in the past 150 years.

I think the use of biological weapons will be the end of our civilization

I don't think civilization will be destroyed, this time. I think that, this time, we've taken it to a new level. If I had to pick, I'd pick nuclear war over a virus.

No way.

dunno

A SINGLE virus, no. No matter how powerfull a virus is, it will either 1) Kill its victims too quickly and fizzle out (Ebola). 2) Have a survival/immunity rate of at least 1:10,000 (Like "HIV" does.).

However... multiple virus might do the trick.

I think civilization as we know it is more likely to be responsible for the destruction of civilization as we know it. Actually, it's more likely that civilization as we don't yet know it will be the cause of the destruction of civilization as we don't yet know it.

No that's Rickie Lakes job! :)

On the contrary - the idea of human superiority over nature will destroy nature as we know it over the next 100 years, but we'll survive it. That's precisely what makes us superior to nature.

The AIDS virus by the way is doing a pretty good job wiping out Africa.

Just look what the Aids virus and Ebola is doing right now, destroying Earth's population, for whom's convenience is the question?

what is ebola doing right now? I haven't heard about an outbreak in a while...

I believe it's currently stalking another innocent African village. It's looking for a small town with an international airport.

beachfront property would be nice, too.

*frowns* wait...I just realized...everyone blames the Monkies! Poor little Monkies...
I love Monkies...I also love the way I spell Monkies, don't you?

Anyone?
Anyone?
Bueller?

ebola is too fast and too nasty to really bring about the end of civilization, plus i don't believe there's been much in the way of airborne strains that kill humans, are there? i know ebola reston was airborne but only killed monkeys, and i'm almost certain that both ebola zaire and ebola d-mumble (some town in germany whose name i've forgotten) were both NON-airborne.

AIDS is too slow and too difficult to catch.

and i don't think either of those or anything in between would actually bring about the end of civilization. civilization is pretty robust.

marburg virus! marburg virus! you're in Seattle - oh noooooo!

Yeah, why blame them? I mean everybody knows they're too busy singing to get anybody down.

Civilization as we know it is destroyed on a regular basis by scientific progress.

They're just tryin' to be friendly........

We are the virus.

I would imagine there will be.

No.

Not sure. I couldn't get the link to work.

I can't seem to either. The site may have gone down. I'll ask him and let you know.

thanks