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'Theres no scientific consensus that life is important!'

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just_ben
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20 Aug 2010, 6:50 pm

Inspired by a forgettable one liner from Futurama, it did make me wonder; How important is life? Are species really worth protecting? And how are we supposed to decide which one to save/ why they deserve it?

BTW, I tried to find a video clip from 'Into The Wild Green Yonder', but with no luck. Basically, the crew are performing a cursory environmental survey. Life is found, but the Professor, driven by greed. approves the area for demolition. Declaring that "There's no scientific consensus that life is important!"



Thoughts?


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20 Aug 2010, 7:09 pm

just_ben wrote:
Inspired by a forgettable one liner from Futurama, it did make me wonder; How important is life? Are species really worth protecting? And how are we supposed to decide which one to save/ why they deserve it?

BTW, I tried to find a video clip from 'Into The Wild Green Yonder', but with no luck. Basically, the crew are performing a cursory environmental survey. Life is found, but the Professor, driven by greed. approves the area for demolition. Declaring that "There's no scientific consensus that life is important!"



Thoughts?


Important to whom? My life is important to me.



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20 Aug 2010, 7:23 pm

Sand wrote:
My life is important to me.


Why is it important to you if you are merely a combination of molecules in one particular arrangement on a small planet orbiting a small star which is on the outer edge of a small spiral arm at 25,000 light years radius out from the center of an unimpressive galaxy which is only 100,000 light years in diameter, and isn't even the center of the particular small cluster, and yada yada yada, all that crap about how puny and insignificant we are based on size and distances. Why do you find your life to be important?



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20 Aug 2010, 7:26 pm

Science can only inform morality. It is not morality itself.


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20 Aug 2010, 7:27 pm

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Last edited by Bethie on 20 Aug 2010, 7:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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20 Aug 2010, 7:27 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
My life is important to me.


Why is it important to you if you are merely a combination of molecules in one particular arrangement on a small planet orbiting a small star which is on the outer edge of a small spiral arm at 25,000 light years radius out from the center of an unimpressive galaxy which is only 100,000 light years in diameter, and isn't even the center of the particular small cluster, and yada yada yada, all that crap about how puny and insignificant we are based on size and distances. Why do you find your life to be important?


Because I am having a great time being alive.



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20 Aug 2010, 7:28 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
My life is important to me.


Why is it important to you if you are merely a combination of molecules in one particular arrangement on a small planet orbiting a small star which is on the outer edge of a small spiral arm at 25,000 light years radius out from the center of an unimpressive galaxy which is only 100,000 light years in diameter, and isn't even the center of the particular small cluster, and yada yada yada, all that crap about how puny and insignificant we are based on size and distances. Why do you find your life to be important?


He/she didn't say their life was important. They said their life was important to THEM. :roll:


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20 Aug 2010, 7:33 pm

Bethie wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Sand wrote:
My life is important to me.


Why is it important to you if you are merely a combination of molecules in one particular arrangement on a small planet orbiting a small star which is on the outer edge of a small spiral arm at 25,000 light years radius out from the center of an unimpressive galaxy which is only 100,000 light years in diameter, and isn't even the center of the particular small cluster, and yada yada yada, all that crap about how puny and insignificant we are based on size and distances. Why do you find your life to be important?


He/she didn't say their life was important. They said their life was important to THEM. :roll:


Oh wow, Sherlock, congratulations: you can roll your emoticon's eyes. Gold star for you.



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20 Aug 2010, 7:39 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Why is it important to you if you are merely a combination of molecules in one particular arrangement on a small planet orbiting a small star which is on the outer edge of a small spiral arm at 25,000 light years radius out from the center of an unimpressive galaxy which is only 100,000 light years in diameter, and isn't even the center of the particular small cluster, and yada yada yada, all that crap about how puny and insignificant we are based on size and distances. Why do you find your life to be important?

Right, life in that insignificant planet seems insignificant compared to the whole galaxy and the whole universe, but what if life is rare in the universe? does that make it more significant or is that meaningless?


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20 Aug 2010, 7:43 pm

Bethie wrote:
He/she didn't say their life was important. They said their life was important to THEM. :roll:

Didn't you know that life is not important at all if it was not designed by an intelligent designer, therefore ID aka Creationism must be true.


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20 Aug 2010, 7:46 pm

greenblue wrote:
Bethie wrote:
He/she didn't say their life was important. They said their life was important to THEM. :roll:

Didn't you know that life is not important at all if it was not designed by an intelligent designer, therefore ID aka Creationism must be true.


Assuming you're not kidding, you are stating the importance of life depends upon the judgment of a hypothetical designer. How can you determine that judgment?



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20 Aug 2010, 7:48 pm

greenblue wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Why is it important to you if you are merely a combination of molecules in one particular arrangement on a small planet orbiting a small star which is on the outer edge of a small spiral arm at 25,000 light years radius out from the center of an unimpressive galaxy which is only 100,000 light years in diameter, and isn't even the center of the particular small cluster, and yada yada yada, all that crap about how puny and insignificant we are based on size and distances. Why do you find your life to be important?

Right, life in that insignificant planet seems insignificant compared to the whole galaxy and the whole universe, but what if life is rare in the universe? does that make it more significant or is that meaningless?


Didn't the character of Guinan say something about that to Samuel Clemens in a Next Generation episode, the one where Data went back in time by accident?

Personally, life is extremely complex and far more easy to destroy than to create, so we are significant in our complexity if nothing else, I think we are significant to God, but I know most here don't, so I don't want to get into that. But I will say this, if it may be permitted to occur, then I would like to see us colonize as much of space as possible while there is still time. It would be cool to go to Mars and to build space stations (other than just in low Earth orbit, that is) and all the rest of the things which make science fiction cool to me.



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20 Aug 2010, 7:51 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
greenblue wrote:
iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Why is it important to you if you are merely a combination of molecules in one particular arrangement on a small planet orbiting a small star which is on the outer edge of a small spiral arm at 25,000 light years radius out from the center of an unimpressive galaxy which is only 100,000 light years in diameter, and isn't even the center of the particular small cluster, and yada yada yada, all that crap about how puny and insignificant we are based on size and distances. Why do you find your life to be important?

Right, life in that insignificant planet seems insignificant compared to the whole galaxy and the whole universe, but what if life is rare in the universe? does that make it more significant or is that meaningless?


Didn't the character of Guinan say something about that to Samuel Clemens in a Next Generation episode, the one where Data went back in time by accident?

Personally, life is extremely complex and far more easy to destroy than to create, so we are significant in our complexity if nothing else, I think we are significant to God, but I know most here don't, so I don't want to get into that. But I will say this, if it may be permitted to occur, then I would like to see us colonize as much of space as possible while there is still time. It would be cool to go to Mars and to build space stations (other than just in low Earth orbit, that is) and all the rest of the things which make science fiction cool to me.


See http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 212011.htm



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20 Aug 2010, 8:07 pm

iamnotaparakeet wrote:
Didn't the character of Guinan say something about that to Samuel Clemens in a Next Generation episode, the one where Data went back in time by accident?

I really don't remember if that was actually said in that episode.

Quote:
if it may be permitted to occur, then I would like to see us colonize as much of space as possible while there is still time. It would be cool to go to Mars and to build space stations (other than just in low Earth orbit, that is) and all the rest of the things which make science fiction cool to me.

I can't really say about this, not sure how humans would have problems adapting to a new different environment or if technology allows taking most of our environment with us, including the same or closed to earth's gravity.


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20 Aug 2010, 8:08 pm

Sand wrote:
Assuming you're not kidding, you are stating the importance of life depends upon the judgment of a hypothetical designer. How can you determine that judgment?

I am kidding, but, generally, fundies believe that evolution and our current cosmology undermines our place in creation and undermines the existence of God, as some usually claim that evolution is atheistic. And a justification I heard that "without God life is meaningless" which is subjective.


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20 Aug 2010, 8:14 pm

greenblue wrote:
Sand wrote:
Assuming you're not kidding, you are stating the importance of life depends upon the judgment of a hypothetical designer. How can you determine that judgment?

I am kidding, but, generally, fundies believe that evolution and our current cosmology undermines our place in creation and undermines the existence of God, as some usually claim that evolution is atheistic. And a justification I heard that "without God life is meaningless" which is subjective.


And the way humans are vociferously destroying our life sustaining environment one might add, for these people of faith, without life, God is meaningless.