End of the world.?

Question

I'm curious as what people think the end of the world means.I keep reading questions on here about the end of the world and 2012.All these end of the world scenarios what do they mean by end of the world.Does it mean that the planet will explode or collide with anther planet.Thats what i take end of the world to mean.

Do people consider the end of the human species as the end of the world.IF the climates of earth changed so dramatically and quickly that we were wiped out does that count as the end of the world or just the end of our species.

Could all these predictions of the end of the world really only mean the end of our world as a species.

So what do you think of when you hear end of the world.

Do you think of it as the complete destruction of the planet earth or do you see the end of the world as the end of the human species.

Answer 1

I die, you all go away.

Answer 2

Most people asking the question are thinking metaphorically, ie, the world as humans know it or the end of 'humankind' will be the end of the world, rather than the more literal definition of a world being destroyed such as will be the case when our sun supernovas.

I usually respond by saying the 'world' will end when it becomes a burnt crisp in 4.5 billion years or so when our sun supernovas.  Humans will have been obliterated eons earlier from some rogue asteroid, super volcanoe, nuclear holocaust or other cataclysm...

Answer 3

What I know about life is that when a person is dead, it's the end of the world as they knew it or at least as far as any of us "living" can tell.   So, for me the end of the world is the day I die and each of us will have our own end of the world in due course of time.   Now if some fool idiot gets an itchy finger with all those nuclear bombs then maybe we all will reach the end together...

Answer 4

I see it for exacly what it means.  The earth being completely destroyed.

Answer 5

Well whether you're talking about the actual physical end of planet Earth or just the end of the human species, at least for us humans the end result is the same--WE would no longer exist.

I'm getting kinda irritated at all this 2012 c**p.  And yes, that's exactly what it is.  Critical thinking skills have been going downhill in our society for some time, such that most people can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality.  Creationism, alternative medicine & homeopathy, UFO's, Jesus' return "any day now," 2012, etc. etc....none of these have the slightest standing in real science, in reality.

Regarding 2012 in particular, I very highly recommend checking out the link below.  This guy lays it all out, and explains why even the Mayans wouldn't regard 2012 as the end of the world.

Oh, and despite all the hype about global warming, no scientist is predicting that it will be the end of mankind, even in the worst-case scenarios.  The most _likely_ scenarios indicate there may be some slight disruptions to our civilization, with perhaps some moderate economic costs depending on the course of action we take.

Answer 6

if the world ends in 2012 i will personally l**k my own **** hole.

Answer 7

The idea of the end of the world is something that has fascinated mankind for millenia. The Norse even built a mythology premised on their very gods dying in a cataclysmic battle with their enemies. Many religions are built around apocolyptic prophecy. Christianity is the obvious example today, and practically every generation has had someone or some group certain that their generation was "The last" one.

   In most legends, the world comes to an end, but usually is simply rebuilt in a more perfect form. So they do not in fact predict a destruction like another planet or asteroid colliding with Earth, or the sun going red giant. With modern science though, we're lucky enough to understand ever more nasty and exotic ways that our world could end. Eaten by a black hole, fried by radiation from a nearby supernova, superviruses wiping us out; the list is impressive.

  But these are fates that no one has actually made specific predictions on. As for the aztec calender, it is merely the end of a "long cycle" of calculating times. While that time is pretty nasty in aztec terms, it is followed by the beginning of yet another long cycle, thus signalling a rebirth.  So most doomsday scenarios that you see predicted involve a death and rebirth akin to that of wintertime and the following spring.  I certainly wont lose sleep over the matter; the world will end soon enough for me when I die anyways. At least I know others will go on.

Answer 8

2012 is the year that the Aztec calenday ends. The big news is that a new calendar will start the very next day. I mention this for those who haven't thought that far. Yes, end of the world can have many interpretations. End...as we know it, End....of the planet. As energy can't be destroyed we are all immortal anyway, so where is the concern.