Hello Randal ~
The phrase 'human thriving' pricked up my ears immediately because that is also at the heart of my own hypothesis - as well as my belief that nature has already brought us to the very brink of this exulted state & that the measures we have to implement in order to get over the admittedly big hump in the road presently impeding us & then gleefully enter into this happy state of human thriving - otherwise our rightful destiny !! - is not only quite knowable but also logistically very easy - even if it will be a bit of an emotional wrench !!
The reason I believe nature has already brought us to the very brink of human thriving is because evolutionary biology quite clearly tells us so.
"Evolution is a process of adaptation & given enough time & raw materials will eventually produce a fully evolved, perfectly adapted life form, which particular fully evolved, perfectly adapted life form will be evidenced by the facts that it will be able, courtesy of its fully evolved
perfectly adapted state, to live - indeed THRIVE - anywhere, at any time, under any circumstances, or relocate or terra form to suit, doing so, moreover, without causing any waste, loss or damage to either itself or its surrounds, animate & inanimate alike.
In short, evolutionary biology clearly tells us that one day a fully evolved, perfectly adapted life form will emerge on this Earth & it will live - indeed THRIVE - in perfect harmony with its surrounds.
Of course we humans are this endpoint-selected entity.
At least we would be if we weren't inflicting so much waste, loss & damage on both ourselves as well as all the rest of creation." (Quote from my essay, Page 3.)
I apologize for drawing your attention to my own 'solution' by way of getting us back on track - which solution you will find in my essay which stands second in the 'submissions date' list) - but as they say in legal circles, with your own reference to 'human thriving' you opened the door.
I enjoyed your essay not only because you see human thriving for everyone as a ligitimate goal, but also because your ideas were well presented.
Hope you still have time to read & rate my essay too (it's more than a little out of the box) !!
Thank you
Margriet Anne O'Regan