Summary:

Historically, for as long as crowded cities have existed, plagues and infectious diseases have
posed enormous threats to human civilizations. In the mid thirteenth century, the most famous
outbreak, the so-called Black Death, took the lives of more than a quarter of the population of Eurasia,
as government officials and the people were completely ignorant of the existence of bacteria, and
suspected miasma, pernicious demons and dissatisfied gods to be the culprit instead. Later in history,
even more severe epidemics would wreak havoc on America, Australia and the Pacific Islands, due to
European settlers introducing novel pathogens to the susceptible native peoples. Each exploration into
isolated communities transmitted the likes of smallpox, flu, measles and others, which yielded the death
of more than 90% of the population. In the last century, however, despite growing populations and
better transportation providing more means of circulation for infectious diseases, humans have greatly
lessened their incidence and impact, thanks to such medical advancements as vaccines, antibiotics,
improved hygiene and medical facilities. Today, while mutations may allow pathogens to develop cross-
species transmission, immunity evasion mechanisms, and antibiotic resistance more rapidly than
previously possible, doctors are equipped with accumulative knowledge to invent increasingly effective
medicines and even unorthodox treatments, namely the use of nano-bots, thus increasing their chances
of reacting to future epidemics more timely and efficiently. As unpredictable as the future may be, it is
certain that epidemiological disasters will no longer be regarded as inescapable, but rather the fault of
inadequate response, whether they are natural or manmade.

Prediction:
Why can't we just decide what happiness is for ourselves? 
Firstly, it is because the nature of happiness itself is not a matter of subjective taste, but
can only be a universal truth. As Aristotle deduces from the first principles, since all human
activities aim at some good and many goods are subordinate to others, there must be one final
good to be called “happiness”, one which is beyond criticism and transcends shifting societal
values. The existence of this objective fact necessitates philosophical discourse in order to be
established, not individualist thinking. Secondly, when individuals attempt to define happiness
according to their own judgement, they often equate it with the pursuit of objects that ultimately
cannot constitute happiness. This misattribution stems from the fact that individuals almost
invariably begin the process of defining with pre-existing beliefs and misconceptions, which may
be the product of various factors, namely background, culture, and societal values, and which
they unknowingly adopt, preserve and pass on to later generations. Even if they are not
conditioned to support certain viewpoints, their definition can be erroneous in that the person
may wrongly associate concepts, such as wealth or pleasure, with happiness simply because
they create a temporary sense of fulfilment, or the illusion of happiness, which may hold some
merit, but ultimately does not satisfy all the major criteria, and will be destructive to the
individual.
What might happen if we decide to pursue something that logically cannot be
happiness as if it were happiness itself? Another way of asking the second question,
why is it important that we get happiness right?
The correct identification of happiness is crucial in that any pursuit of false happiness
would yield, at best, diminishing returns, and at worst, the decay of virtue. To begin with, the
“false happiness” discussed here is generally one of the goods necessary to achieve
blessedness, but is single-mindedly aspired to because of the misapprehension that it is itself
the ultimate good. Some of these goods in nature do bring about satisfaction, but only
ephemeral and require relentless replenishment. These paths to happiness may reassure a
person’s sense of self-worth, but the more it is strive towards, the more its nature is revealed to
the individual as something that exist only to serve a higher purpose, and cannot stand alone on
its own merits. For example, the absurd accumulation of wealth can only render money
frivolous, uncontrolled materialism can only lead to endless consumption of products, and
obsession with productivity and achievements only result in constant dissatisfaction. What is
more dangerous, however, is the sacrifice, or perversion, of many aspects of life in serving of
this pursuit: moral codes, value systems and personal integrity, not to mention physical and
mental well-being, are only some of these aspects that may be degraded for the sake of the
person’s pursuits. Whatever part of their humanity remains after it, it is certain that the state he
or she will be living in is one of a hollow, soulless condition.