Failed Apocalypses

Last week I wrote a lengthy contemplation of the interest and possibility of the end of the world (if not everything).  This week I will spare you most of the length and tell you that you should just read through Salon.com’s list of apocalyptic predictions that didn’t pan out quite so Dooms Day-ish.  One of the most interesting things that I found in the whole piece was tying in how one of these apocalypse beliefs played a significant role in Leon Festinger’s contributions to social psychology. 

So yeah, there will probably always be somebody proclaiming that the end times are right around the corner, but if we can learn anything from the past, we can probably conclude that most of these predictions are bunk.  Of course there is the distinct possibility that The Onion is correct and today marks the lowest point for Western Civilization in all history, which is pretty much the apocalypse in its own right.

~ by Nathaniel on September 25, 2009.