doomsday argument

The doomsday argument suggests that, based on your position in human history, there's a higher probability that humanity's total lifespan is shorter than some optimistic estimates. It relies on the idea that, probabilistically, you're more likely to find yourself somewhere in the middle of humanity's timeline rather than at its very start or end. Therefore, if many humans have already existed, it's statistically more probable that humanity will not continue for many more thousands of years, implying a higher chance that civilization may face an imminent end. It's a probabilistic perspective, emphasizing typicality within the scope of human existence.