To me it seems like all of the corporations and western governments are in a race to the edge of a cliff. All of them see the cliff and all of them know the race is going to end in disaster. But they also refuse to slow down because then they will lose the race.

Who is included in “our entire modern civilization?” Some parts of the world are in decline, some are rising and are stronger every day.

Agriculture has been around for ~12,000 years, which is the backbone of civilization. Modern humans have been around for 300,000. I’m not sure if “bubble” is the right term, but it is new and experimental. The hoarding of material goods has fried our ape brains, though.

The ENTIRE modern civilization? No. But the western world is surely in decline. If anything, i would place my bets on Asia if i would make a prediction which region will dominate the world in the next 100 - 200 years.

God declares bankrupt, millions of investors in shambles

Yes. We’re consuming lots of natural resources at a prodigious rate, like topsoil, phosphorous, and even fresh water — never mind fossil fuels. It seems fairly clear that the planet cannot support a population of 7 billion humans for very long (on a geological timeframe), so either we’re in a civilizational bubble that will pop or we’re going to have to come up with another round of magical technologies à la the Haber Process to keep the bubble going…

It sure feels like it, given how much power is in the hands of so few people. Unlike previous similar situations in the past (of extreme power/wealth concentration), it’s never been easier to control the masses

Civilization collapse within 100-200 years is definitely a possibility, I would say there’s a 95% chance that humanity will be reduced by 95% over the next 100-200 years.