Entropy is a bitch. If the second law of thermodynamics holds, one day or the other we, the human race, the planet, the galaxy… are screwed!

The doomsday argument even gives us a time estimate before the annihilation of the human race: there is a 95% chance that we will disappear within 10000 years.

If the doomsday argument seems too theoretical, have a look at the Fermi paradox. Why are we alone? It might be because the others have been blown up (the optimist view) or blown themselves up (the pessimist view).

So it seems that in the long run we are all dead. But, as an exercise, what would be the farthest positive future for the human race?

I’d say that the prudent way to go would be to gradually reduce the human population. You wouldn’t want 15 billion people dying at the same time. That seems like a lot of suffering.

I’d lower the birth rate by providing universal basic income. People would not have to rely on their children to survive in case of disability and old age. The insidious alliance between capital owners and retirees would at last be dissolved. It would break the cycle of exploitation that incentivizes maintaining the poor and the young in ignorance. Let’s stop parroting about education when ignorance is a feature of the system! At this point having children is not a positive: you are just producing more slaves. Yes, you might have to do the work that your descendants won’t do for you. But basic income will protect from exploitative conditions. There will be more automation, better conditions and higher pay. Bullshit jobs will (mostly) disappear.

I’d fund basic income through a wealth tax on physical assets. Do not get fooled by money and finance, human prosperity is ultimately based on material conditions. So let’s tax material ownership and consumption. It’s also quite easy to appraise. You determine the value of your assets, but beware that it can be bought at said price by others.

In short, the farthest positive future I can picture would be a smaller but more equal human population, living a more sustainable and freer life. And, in case you think it’s important, the human race would also have a chance of lasting longer as future births would be spread farther in the future.