Is the 21st century the most peaceful time in human history?

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i heard that somewhere, do you think it's true?

Considering it opened with 9/11, I doubt it.

I do think warfare in the 21st century will be different from what it was in 1855-1955, though. Asymmetric conflicts will likely dominate this century.

Lets see how these next 90 years turn out and I'll give you an answer.

Asymmetric warfare is a reiteration of the two hundred years of terror spread by the Assassin movement (it originated in Persia around the year 950 c.e.). It should not come as a surprise that the Assassins (the followers of Hassan Ibn al Sabbah) is a Muslim thing. The word "assassin" in the Anglicized version of the Arabic word, Hashishim (Hashish eaters). Hasan ibn al Sabah invented the world's first time release capsule and acquired his followers by inducing a drug induced state of ecstacy upon them. He convinced his followers that if they died carrying out his orders that would have an eternity of sexual whoopie in the hereafter. Does that sound familiar?

ruveyn

For humans, yes. Here's a brief defence of that thesis:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ramBFRt1Uzk[/youtube]
The suffering of other animals has probably increased, due to our treatment of them. However, it seems that people are becoming inceasingly concerned about this, and hopefully in a few decades this unfortunate trend will be reversed.

I think that the 21st century will be the worst in human history.

We are looking at peak oil, overpopulation, and ecological disasters.

I think that this century will end with far fewer humans on the planet then there are now.

That mean we will have to wait another 90 (or so) years to find out. Predictions that can be tested after most of us are dead and gone are the safest predictions.

ruveyn

I don't think so. It might seem so from a westerners viewpoint. And even then, modern westerners may not be subject to so much physical violence, but psychological pressures are greater, and therefore we experience less peace. Of course this is all just my view, I've no way of objectively measuring.

Did you mean the twentieth century? It's kind of hard to judge something only having seen a tenth of it.

Asymmetric warfare also occurred during the establishment of European imperialism. Terrorism is not the only form of asymmetric warfare.

Population reduction over a period of a century need not involve difficult times. Most European countries have fertility rates that are below replacement. We just need to figure out how to get the high population areas of the world there, too.

I think it's too soon to tell. We're barely through the first decade of the 21st century; let's see what the next nine decades bring before we come to a conclusion.

We have been at peak oil and overpopulated for the last sixty years. A hundred years from now we will be at peak oil and overpopulated.

ruveyn

The concept of peak oil didn't even exist 60 years ago....

Edit: Hubbert correctly predicted peak oil production in the U.S., which occurred around 1970. Why do you think the same techniques can't be applied to the world as a whole?

One does not know the peak is. It is a function of technology which is always changing. We will know we were at peak oil only after the persistent decline.

Same for "overpopulation". We will know we are overpopulated when the yearly famines and die-offs not only start, but are persistent.

In the 1850's America and Europe were a "peak whale oil". How was the problem solved? Petroleum. The major use of petroleum up until 1885 was the production of kerosine for oil lamps as a substitute for whale oil. Railroads ran on wood and coal so there was no energy shortage until the forests were cut way back. We could have run on coal for the next two hundred years, but oil turned out to be cheaper.

When oil runs short we will either go back to coal (we still have hundreds of years worth in the ground) are go the right way --- fission nuclear power generation.

ruveyn