Question about the Doomsday Argument

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IpsoRandomo
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28 Oct 2007, 5:26 pm

I was wondering if anyone could tell me about the Doomsday Argument, an argument made by some philosophers that the human race will soon end. I wonder if anyone could tell me the basis of this argument. I'd also like it if someone could express the argument in the form of its premises and conclusion, preferably in layman's terms.



Cooper
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29 Oct 2007, 11:31 am

The Doomsday argument is a probability-based argument that predicts that there is a 95% probability that the human race will go extinct within the next 9120 years. The argument assumes that out of the total number of humans that will ever be born in the past or future, at least 5% have already been born. Then, using predictions for future birthrates, population, and lifespan, it calculates the number 9120 as an upper bound the number of years it will take for the remaining humans to be born and die, assuming we are in the last 95% of humans ever to be born. Wikipedia has a much better explanation of it.



IpsoRandomo
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29 Oct 2007, 9:04 pm

thanx



pandabear
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02 Nov 2007, 1:24 pm

9120 years doesn't sound "soon" to me. A lot can happen between now and then.



Joybob
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02 Nov 2007, 1:34 pm

Hell, I doubt we'll make it to 2100.