JayWood2010 said:
DarthVolod said:
JayWood2010 said:
DarthVolod said:
JayWood2010 said:
DarthVolod said:
JayWood2010 said:
DarthVolod said:
curl-6 said:
Netyaroze said:
Busted said:
NintendoPie said:
Busted said: Exterminate the human race. |
Well, that doesn't seem harsh at all!
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If you think about it, that's one of the ''nicest'' things that could happen to earth, and it doesn't make me proud at all...
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How is it one of the nicest things that could happen to earth ? How does the planet benefit from the extermination of the human race.
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Many species we are pushing towards extinction would be saved, and the environment would benefit from no longer being our punching bag.
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I'm pretty sure species went extinct before any trace of humans existed on this planet.
As for the environment ... um who cares? Setting aside the fact that the impact that humans have on the environment is negligible, what value will the earth have to anyone or anything if humans are extinct? The environment will be destroyed eventually as a result of the sun burning up all of its hydrogen. The only thing that could possibly save the planet would be humans through some elaborate process of moving the whole planet somewhere else (never even heard of that being done even in sci-fi ). So yeah this planet is doomed in the long run even if all humans were wiped out tomorrow.
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A lot of people
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Unfortunately, you are right. I was just trying to point out the fact that caring about the environment is, ultimately, pointless.
Also, the idea that anyone would consider eliminating humanity in order to prevent supposed damage to a big chunk of dirt flying through space is pretty disturbing.
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Would you prefer to live 5 years or 50 years? This is in relation with this topic. Sure planet Earth wont be here forever but keeping it here and keeping humanity for as long as possible is better to most people than having earth destroyed in a matter of a few years becuase we are ultimately making bad decisions.
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Understandable, but my point is that the Earth itself has no value to anyone if humans are not here to live on it. I was responding to a comment from someone that believes that "the world" would be better off if humanity went extinct. It is just as irrational as someone trying to kill me in order to prevent further damage to my Xbox from my use of it ... the Xbox has no rights that I am violating just as the planet Earth and no other planet for that matter has rights capable of being violated.
You would be killing an entire species that actually has rights in order to save a bunch of dirt flying through space that has no intrinsic value. Sounds insane to me.
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Not everybody has these views though. To me i dont see us as being more important than animals. We may be smarter, that is our defense as an animal. However it doesn't make us more important. that is just my opinion. The only way Earth would have no value is if every living organism went extinct. Wouldn't you say that this planet needs plants for us to survive? So in a way isn't plants the most important living organism on Earth? But then again they need us to survive so in away we all help one another out to survive. However human's stupidity leads to a lot more senseless death than good. Sure we do good but we are horrible in a lot of ways too.
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Humans are more valuable than animals though ... only humans are capable of deploying reason and creating value. Animals and plants can not. Until they evolve the capacity for reason animals will be (whether people label them as such or not) material that rational beings can manipulate and transform in order to benefit and survive. This is not opinion, but rather nature of reality. If ratioal creatures don't transform nature to suit their needs then extinction is the only alternative.
You are also saying that humans are no more valuable than animals. I have no idea what you mean by this to be honest. The question is of value to whom? Animals, plants, and inanimate matter can not "value" things. Reason is a prerequisite for this.
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Plants are the reason all of us are even living on this earth today. Hypothetically let's say that the sun dissapeared. Plants would be the first to die because they would not have photosynthesis. Within the 10-20 years O2 would liquefy and the only way for us to survive is to melt the liqefied O2. Thing is after the 1st year we would be in negative 100 degrees farenheit. 10-20 years we would either freeze to death or die because we have no oxygen.
Humans are animals. Our defense is our brain but we are incapable of surviving without the help from plants and animals. For example if you went outside in freezing weather without any clothes you would die in less than an hour. 20 minutes if I remember correctly. You need plants and animals more than you think.
Now for my question. What makes us more important than plants or animals? ANy reason? And i swear you better not say because the bible said so. I am using logic and reasoning through everyday life.
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I am pretty sure we would all be dead in about 8 minutes or so if the sun suddenly dissapeared. This planet would freeze pretty quickly. Also, Earth would be knocked off its axis and be sent who knows where as it is no longer affected by the gravity of the sun. Plants, animals, and humans would all die at pretty much the same time with only a few single cell organisms if that which would be left on the planet after such a cataclysmic event.
You are correct in saying that our brain (reason) is our primary survival mechanism. We do not get "help" from animals though as it is only through our utilization of animals and plants (a process that involves transforming them into something usuable such as a good) that we can survive.
I'm an atheist so I don't regard humanity as special because of a divine mandate. Rather, the souce of my preference for humanity (and the source for most people I would imagine even if they don't explicity state it) is simple self-interest. I am more concerned with human life because I am a human. This is a rational stance as well since I rely on humans to survive/thrive just as all humans do with few exceptions. Once again, however, I must state I am confused with your attempt to juxtapose a hierachy on human, plant, and animal life. Humans have to exploit the Earth which includes animals and plants in order to survive. This is just a fact. You can attempt to reason which is most important, but the question is as I stated "most important to whom?" Humans need to display self-interest and a preference for their survival over the survival of plants and animals in order to survive. It doesn't matter if you like that or not it is the nature of reality.
If a human really became so warped in their thinking that they would be willing to destroy themselves because they falsely belive that humans are harming the planet then they have every right to take their own life. If they try to take the lives of others, however, based on their irrational belief then don't be surprised if people rightly try to defend themselves. I'll ask you and this person if they are stilling monitoring this thread, what makes plant and animal life so special to you that you would be willing to kill off a perfectly healthy species that is, itself, considered to be part of the animal kingdom at least in origin. It is not the stated goal of humanity to eradicate all plant and animal life so what is this supposed threat that you are fighting against?