coberst: "...while we have the brain power to prevent this we may well not have the necessary character traits to do so."
Supposing that's true - and I think it is - is there a pragmatic approach to dealing with the problem? You suggest:
coberst: "the only way to prevent this is for our species to become much more intellectually sophisticated than it is now"
Are you suggesting that better education would change the character traits inherent in our species?
?
The human animal, being a species of mammal in many respects similar to other mammals, behaves, by and large, according to its inherited nature. I would define character as the inherent complex of attributes that determines moral and ethical actions and reactions. But however you choose to define 'character', 'behaviour' is the bottom line in the chain of cause and effect. Human behaviour is not governed entirely by rational thought. Were it to become possible for us (the human race) to learn ethical behaviour and rational thought on a grand scale, then the current threats to civilisation would dissolve before our eyes. Alas, I see no cause for optimism.
