Michio Kaku: Will Mankind Destroy Itself? | Big Think

Will Mankind Destroy Itself?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OVERVIEW
Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku sees two major trends today. One eventually leads to a multicultural, scientific, tolerant society that will expand beyond Earth in the name of human progress. The other trend leads to fundamentalism, monoculturalism, and -- eventually -- civilizational ruin. Whichever of these two trends wins out will determine the fate of mankind. No pressure, everyone.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MICHIO KAKU
Dr. Michio Kaku is the co-founder of string field theory, and is one of the most widely recognized scientists in the world today. He has written 4 New York Times Best Sellers, is the science correspondent for CBS This Morning and has hosted numerous science specials for BBC-TV, the Discovery/Science Channel. His radio show broadcasts to 100 radio stations every week. Dr. Kaku holds the Henry Semat Chair and Professorship in theoretical physics at the City College of New York (CUNY), where he has taught for over 25 years. He has also been a visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study as well as New York University (NYU).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Question: What is the likelihood that mankind will destroy itself?

Michio Kaku: I say looking at the next 100 years that there are two trends in the world today. The first trend is toward what we call a type one civilization, a planetary civilization, a civilization that resembles something out of "Buck Rogers" or "Flash Gordon." A type two civilization is stellar. They consume so much energy they can play with stars. That is for example the Federation of Planets in "Star Trek." "Star Trek" would represent the typical type two civilization. Then we have type three, which is galactic like the Borg or "Independence Day" or the empire of "The Empire Strikes Back." That is a type three civilization, which is truly galactic. Now by the time you reach type two, you are immortal. Nothing known to science can destroy a type two civilization. Comets, meteors, earthquakes, even a supernova a type two civilization would be able to survive even a supernova.

The danger is the transition between type zero and type one and that’s where we are today. We are a type zero civilization. We get our energy from dead plants, oil and coal. But if you get a calculator you can calculate when we will attain type one status. The answer is: in about 100 years we will become planetary. We’ll be able to harness all the energy output of the planet earth. We’ll play with the weather, earthquakes, volcanoes. Anything planetary we will play with. The danger period is now, because we still have the savagery. We still have all the passions. We have all the sectarian, fundamentalist ideas circulating around, but we also have nuclear weapons. We have chemical, biological weapons capable of wiping out life on earth.

So I see two trends in the world today. The first trend is toward a multicultural, scientific, tolerant society and everywhere I go I see aspects of that birth. For example, what is the Internet? Many people have written about the Internet. Billions and billions of words written about the Internet, but to me as a physicist the Internet is the beginning of a type one telephone system, a planetary telephone system. So we’re privileged to be alive to witness the birth of type one technology, a planetary telephone system. What is English? English is the beginning of a type one language. Everywhere I go around the Earth, people speak English because that is the lingua franca of science, technology, business. They all speak English. It is the number one second language on the planet Earth. And what is the European Union? The European Union is the beginning of a type one economy. And how come these European countries, which have slaughtered each other ever since the ice melted 10,000 years ago, how come they have banded together, put aside their differences to create the European Union? Well to compete with us and who are we? We are NAFTA, so we’re beginning to see the beginning of a type one economy as well.

Then we’re beginning to see the beginning of a type one culture. Everywhere I go you turn on the radio and what do you hear? Rock 'n' roll, you hear rap music. You hear youth music. Youth music is now planetary, knows no boundaries around the planet earth. Everywhere I go I see high fashion: Chanel, Gucci bags. We’re witnessing the birth of a planetary fashion.

[aiden]

4:45 you can see the disgust in his face when he says "Theocracy" lol

[JustinLHopkins]

All one has to do is read YouTube comments to know that we're doomed.

[jamesbra]

We're more like a type 2 diabetes civilization to be honest.

[RyanSmith-zjys]

4:44 The way he says ‘theocracy’ is priceless

[jazzcat]

What really depresses me: i die and i won't be able to see what happens! (sigh)

[na]

Wish I wasn't born so soon, but this sure as hell beats the Middle Ages!

[AssDays]

“They don’t even know what the hell im talking about” 😂😂😂

[silverjaiden]

What's funny is that Michio Kaku is perfectly describing the angst between social interaction and political interaction. Terrorism is a political tactic. Angst between governments prevent individual from socializing and interacting normally between countries. Borders, internet censorship, import taxes, Nationalism, Wars, Weapons of Mass Destruction, etc are all political tools that prevent human social cohesion between countries and even in countries. Even a large percentage of social murders are done with political motivations. ALL of the violence and strife that humanity regularly subjects itself to on mass is political and dealing with governments. Michio Kaku is questioning will we become a political-less, government-less type 1 civilization or will our governments and politics destroy us. 

[MULTIMEDIAKING]

I mean we cant even get along because of skin color. Were so far away

[hb_gallary]

Most amazing things about him is that when he start talking it's like he is just sitting in front and have a regular conversation, , so fluent, little smile, soft voice without any uh or mmm makes his words more simpler like listening a classical music..

[Turtlebear]

i love michio kaku. he's so interesting to listen to

[jimeponcho]

This is an actual compelling conversation on democracy. Meanwhile on CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News the same old tired pundits keep regurgitating the same old tired talking points about Trump.

[PerlasNegrasXII]

2011:
"Will humanity destroy itself? Nah, fam, what could go wrong?"

5 years later:
"Trump vs Hillary for president"

Well fuck.

[erenYeagereva]

We need ppl like Kaku... Great views honest views and that too with so much research about the world we live in

[Darkboy]

Thank you Mr Kaku for your enlightenment!

It's always a pleasure listing you speak and hear your opinion on matters and how you see things.

Lot to think about again, thank you :)

[theurbangentry]

Fascinating. Really puts it all in perspective. Michio Kaku is so cool! Cheers.

[myannmy]

I love this theoretical story and the kind of moral it brings. Great Youtube channel, I'm stoked.

[ShadowZZZ]

I love his view on radical theists:
"They don't even know what the heck I'm talking about..."

[aronblanche]

Thanks sir, that was adventurous and fascinating when first time hearing about this..

[truesemite]

Spoken like a true imperialist, comes back to the term Foucault coined "The black mail of the enlightenment", Kaku is the prodigy of that black mail. The funny part is that while he's labeling religious fanatics or cultural fanatics as "terrorists" because they are mono culturists all the stuff that he mentions as signs of a converge into one hegemonic ideal (so called liberal democracy) is just a modified form of mono culturalism even if he embellishes it with the word multi-culturalism, he doesn't realize that he's using the same principles that the fanatics use (mainly the Abrahamic religions) especially the concept of teleology and the inevitability of progress towards type whatever "civilization" or towards the kingdom of heaven or some other abstract idea. I pretty much doubt that he knows that he's speaking ideas straight out of Kant, since scientists regard philosophy as horseshit yet they speak its language without knowing that, but little does he and other know that this view is historical and idiosyncratic to a certain time and culture and in retrospect as Adorno and Horkheimer claimed has caused great episodes of catastrophe and domination through the use of instrumental reason (science divorced of comprehensive reason)....in short the implicit message he's conveying is that anyone who opposes our hegemonic neoliberal globalized project and whats to be on their own and autonomous we will count them as terrorists and destroy them ^__^