Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: humans are not the most valuable organisms on the planet

Posted by maxmccauley on 01-01-2008 in Are humans the most valuable organisms on the planet?

"Again, you're framing what is "valuable" in your own terms."

You are accusing me of the exact same thing that you are doing. What does value have anything to do with what we do to the planet? The question has absolutely NOTHING to do with interaction with the planet...that is of course unless that is how you define valuable.

"For that matter, what planets have we saved to date?"

Read my post, I admit multiple times that right now we cause more harm than good to this planet but that we have the POTENTIAL to save many planets in the future. NASA currently has a team working on a plan to intercept any asteroids that may hit the planet in the not-so-distant future...what I am saying isn't all science fiction. This is real stuff, and humans are the only organisms on the planet who can do anything about it.

"What inherent value is there in exploring or colonizing space...We're quickly exterminating life on our current home, and that doesn't merit us anything but contempt"

You are basing the definition of value entirely on our effect on the planet. That is it. I am trying to look at it in a bigger picture, the human race isn't confined to this one planet. We have already demonstrated that we can leave. Maybe we'll destroy this one but save many more. Wouldn't that make us valuable? I guess the definition of value varies, but if we save 1000 inhabited planets from asteroids I think most would agree we did a good thing.

"Most organisms on this planet are quite happy to engage with one another in relationships that are sustainable, and were sustainable for millions of years."

... Most organisms just kill each other and eat each other. Or infect and kill each other. I don't understand what this means, animals kill each other the same way humans do...humans are just much more effective.

I don't understand the self-hating culture that seems to be the new fad among (in particular) Americans. We were killing the planet much more in 1950 than we are now. Humans are gaining awareness of the importance to protect the planet. People don't have an SUV because they enjoy polluting, they have one because it is convenient. We are now, so I hear, starting to create hybrid-SUVs and other vehicles that will help reduce the negative effect we have on the planet. We are working towards helping save this planet and have the potential to save many others. Dogs aren't trying to save the planet. Neither are birds or the AIDS virus.

Another question I think is pertinent to this discussion is how valuable is earth? Earth will be destroyed, it is a matter of when not if. We all know it is going to hurl off into the sun eventually, and likely find a different way to die long before it does that. IF humans find a way to not kill themselves off, wouldn't the simple fact that we have a much much longer life span than this planet lead you to believe that we are meant for bigger and better things? There is no way we will stay on this one planet. Hopefully by that time humans will have matured as a race and we will benefit the universe, unlike what we have done so far with this planet.