Open Veils · Answer
Is today doomsday?
Today is the date Heinz von Foerster's 1960 paper in Science literally titled 'Doomsday: Friday, 13 November, A.D. 2026' designated as the end-point of hyper-exponential human population growth. The model predicted population reaching infinity — a mathematical singularity, not a physical apocalypse. The curve diverged from reality decades ago. The more serious signal is the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists' Doomsday Clock, now at 85 seconds to midnight as of January 27, 2026 — the closest it has ever stood.
Evidence
- Von Foerster and colleagues at the University of Illinois modeled historical demographic data and found population growth was not merely exponential but hyper-exponential, with the curve pointing to a singularity on this specific Friday the 13th.
- The Doomsday Clock is a separate and more institutionally serious instrument.
- Within the esoteric and suppressed-research tradition, Richard Dolan has long argued that existential framing serves a political function — normalizing permanent emergency governance.
- The prediction was always a reductio ad absurdum — a provocation, not a literal forecast.
- Per Euronews (Nov 12, 2026), the paper is acknowledged as 'outdated' even by those who find it intriguing.