Forums » The Lounge » Read Thread

I'm necroing this part of the thread (and I know I'm responding to the wrong person, just the right conversation) but ... I don't believe for one moment that the extent of human potential and purpose only adds up to the process of making more humans.

You can say we're better than that, you can say we're worse than that, but to say that that's all we've ever accomplished, are capable of in the long run, or is the only long term goal we have is just pure ignorance of and apathy towards history.  

You're right, we have always found better weapons to kill eachother with too, so that's something!

And that would be an example of us being worse than just sex-mongering baby-poppers. xD I knew I'd get one of those replies right off the bat...

I believe the meaning to life is to go out and reproduce, die, and do whatever the hell you feel like in between. I do agree with that last paragraph though. To dismiss everything we've managed to accomplish within that "in between" span would be foolish.

The last paragraph is the first paragraph, just more fully explained. There's a reason I put the word "only" ... sure, I believe reproducing has its merits in the grand scheme / what have you, but again, to say that's our only goal? Rather stupid, imho.

Wouldn't say it's our only goal so much as it's the only goal that matters.

I personally think we are past reproducing, now it's just about SEX and lots of it for most people, some just seem too stupid to cover it up or they just get abortions.

I've argued for this before, so yeah, we're definitely more than just 'animals' at this point. While it'll never be not true that we need to reproduce to continue, humans have experienced much more than just pleasure or pain. What probably seperates us is that we create things that aren't necessary to survival, like videogames and philosophy-majors.
We rule the jungle not because we can on average, pull 300-pounds worth, but because we can cut down the trees and build a fence. We rock.

Dammit. Seth, you keep making threads from stuff I say and that's ... flattering, I think, but taking it out of context always makes it look like I'm ranting for no reason. xD I didn't mean to start a new conversation, I was just throwing my two cents into an old pile.

Also, I ... disagree with the thread title in this context. Whether or not I believe we have greater potential than animas (and I do) is another debate entirely. Truth be told, I don't even believe the extent of an animal's potential is simply to reproduce.

Yes, we have greater potential than animals. The question is why we do. 

No no no no stop before you make a fool out of yourself

Fair enough, but that's another debate, Mitchell. One I did not sign up for, lol.

Please continue Mitchell, I want to hear your views.

Well, I think the only reason could be rational thinking, what animals can't do. Because of it, we can do many more things they can't. There are two explanations for rational thinking: either natural selection, or a creator.

But what if the creator made natural selection?  O.o

*Representative value of things makes the world go 'round.  Not many other organisms on the planet can boast the survival of their species to that :P

The scientific answer, absolutely!

Humans are chordates and mammals and primates, and so on, all of which are more than a mere animal.

Now that the snark is out of the way, I'd still say yes. I haven't seen too many dolphins master the internet yet. Okay, maybe all the snark isn't out of the way. But seriously, if you look at any form of artistic expression, whether it be a story, a drawing, painting, song, whatever, I think the answer speaks for itself. 

Well, most people are in fact less than animals - depending on how a shoe rates more or less on the scale of worthiness in comparison of an animal.