What We Are

[finsternis]

Don't know if this has been posted before, but here it is.



(sorry, I don't know how to make it appear in the forum)

What do you guys think of it?

[Kiljaden]

Quick reply before I watch, there's a YouTube button on the top-right of the post screen. All it does is add the [ Youtube][/ Youtube] code (without the space obviously).

EDIT: I like it, pretty funny and very true. EXCEPT THAT WE'RE APES NOT MONKEYS DAMNIT /angryface. Monkeys have tails.

[finsternis]

Thanks.

Well, he uses the word monkey because it is funnier. Also, it sounds more pathetic than apes. lol

[Maverick]

We are...

Here's another theory. We are nothing. I am an individual. Einstein was an individual. There are many differences between us. Some individuals create technology and advance human knowledge and some individuals reap the benefits. "The monkeys have so much potential if they would only apply themselves" like making some half-wit nihilist's manifesto on youtube as opposed to going to the moon?

Above all, what is the argument? I can't figure out what in the hell "they want to be something else but they're not" means. What kind of conclusion is that? They as in people who deny evolution? Maybe he can make his next video about how we think the Earth is flat but it's not.

Give this guy the Noble ing prize.

[finsternis]

Above all, what is the argument? I can't figure out what in the hell "they want to be something else but they're not" means. What kind of conclusion is that? They as in people who deny evolution? Maybe he can make his next video about how we think the Earth is flat but it's not.

Give this guy the Noble ing prize.

I think the argument was "we are not as important as we think we are". The universe was not made for us (which is something that some many people won't accept), we are just another animal species (which is something a lot of people do not want to accept, they even think it is "plant kingdom, animal kingdom and then the 'human' kingdom". They make a kingdom just for ourselves), we love to fight ever subjective things (like culture and religion, which is stupid to fight over it), in the end we are not nearly as great as we think we are. We have done so much, but all the BS that we do kind of balances it out.

Getting to the moon is a great achievement, hating someone over a subjective thing is an even greater achievement.

[Maverick]

I think the argument was "we are not as important as we think we are". The universe was not made for us (which is something that some many people won't accept), we are just another animal species (which is something a lot of people do not want to accept, they even think it is "plant kingdom, animal kingdom and then the 'human' kingdom". They make a kingdom just for ourselves), we love to fight ever subjective things (like culture and religion, which is stupid to fight over it), in the end we are not nearly as great as we think we are. We have done so much, but all the BS that we do kind of balances it out.

Getting to the moon is a great achievement, hating someone over a subjective thing is an even greater achievement.

No... some individuals are important and some are not. You can't make a species wide generalization "humans are not important". There is no "we", take it out of your vocabulary. You are nothing like a genius. You seem to have the misconception that "we have done so much" what exactly have you done? "All the BS that we do kind of balances it out"... what the does that mean?

Anyways, you are what 14 years old? Maybe when you get a little more perspective you will realize that some "monkeys" have amazing, beautiful minds that make them very different from you and I. There is no "we", you don't have anything in common with Isaac Newton, maybe you want to call compare yourself to a "monkey", but instead of dragging the geniuses all the way down, down, down to your level, why not try and rise up to theirs? Of course you can't accomplish either but you look like less of a jerk if you try the latter and you just might learn something.

Again, "we (people who don't believe in evolution) are not as important as we think we are" is a stupid and unnecessary argument. First of all, "I" know I'm a great ape, I was born in the 20th century. Second, we are the most important species on the planet and the advancement of human knowledge through the efforts of great individuals is the greatest miracle of nature as far as I'm concerned.

I think you appreciate how stupid you are but you don't understand how brilliant some "monkeys" are, so brilliant they have almost nothing in common with the common man, let alone the common "monkey". Some great individuals have done some great things. Some insignificant individuals have done some insignificant things like make stupid movies for stupid youtube audiences who have never heard of evolution before.

[Da Skinna]

No... some individuals are important and some are not. You can't make a species wide generalization "humans are not important". There is no "we", take it out of your vocabulary. You are nothing like a genius. You seem to have the misconception that "we have done so much" what exactly have you done? "All the BS that we do kind of balances it out"... what the does that mean?

Anyways, you are what 14 years old? Maybe when you get a little more perspective you will realize that some "monkeys" have amazing, beautiful minds that make them very different from you and I. There is no "we", you don't have anything in common with Isaac Newton, maybe you want to call compare yourself to a "monkey", but instead of dragging the geniuses all the way down, down, down to your level, why not try and rise up to theirs? Of course you can't accomplish either but you look like less of a jerk if you try the latter and you just might learn something.

Again, "we (people who don't believe in evolution) are not as important as we think we are" is a stupid and unnecessary argument. First of all, "I" know I'm a great ape, I was born in the 20th century. Second, we are the most important species on the planet and the advancement of human knowledge through the efforts of great individuals is the greatest miracle of nature as far as I'm concerned.

I think you appreciate how stupid you are but you don't understand how brilliant some "monkeys" are, so brilliant they have almost nothing in common with the common man, let alone the common "monkey". Some great individuals have done some great things. Some insignificant individuals have done some insignificant things like make stupid movies for stupid youtube audiences who have never heard of evolution before.

You are a weawy weawy angry man.

I think either all of humanity is important, for symbolist purposes... or none of us are, for realist purposes.

I think we are capable of both good and bad things, great and small things, things like Green Eggs and Ham, and getting a man on the moon.

I think there was very little get-go difference between Adolf Hitler and Jesus Christ, just what they chose to do with their lives in accordance to how they view and value other people. I think we are all capable of being Christ-like... and also of being puritanical dictators in the making.

It is how we regard others. It is our conduct. So does it matter who is important and who isn't? It did for these two individuals, and you see their lives measure accordingly with how they view society and men.

So what's your story? Are you just so embittered with being what you think of as a "nobody" you have to drag others into your own personal hell?

Come on, you CAN be better than that, let the kid ponder.

[finsternis]

No... some individuals are important and some are not. You can't make a species wide generalization "humans are not important". There is no "we", take it out of your vocabulary. You are nothing like a genius. You seem to have the misconception that "we have done so much" what exactly have you done? "All the BS that we do kind of balances it out"... what the does that mean?

Never said "humans are not important". Stop taking my words out of context. I said "we are not AS important as we think we are". And what is your definition of "important"? Is it the man who leads a whole nation? Or is it the simple folk who helps support the nation? Is a evil powerful president more important than a simple honest and good farmer?

And yes, all the BS that we do balances it out. Have you looked at the world lately?

Anyways, you are what 14 years old? Maybe when you get a little more perspective you will realize that some "monkeys" have amazing, beautiful minds that make them very different from you and I. There is no "we", you don't have anything in common with Isaac Newton, maybe you want to call compare yourself to a "monkey", but instead of dragging the geniuses all the way down, down, down to your level, why not try and rise up to theirs? Of course you can't accomplish either but you look like less of a jerk if you try the latter and you just might learn something.

I am 19, if you must know.
But again, I never said that we are not amazing (all life is amazing. The universe is amazing. And how do I know it? I'm a physics major, I know about the universe), I just said we are not as amazing as most people think we are. And yes, I have something in common with Newton, we are both physicist (I know everything that Newton knew plus more. How? They teach you all of that in College). Do you understand Einstein's Theory of relativity? I do, and guess what, it is Newton's law, but better.

And a tip, don't attack the person, attack the argument. Because if you do, you might end up looking like a jerk and an idiot.

Again, "we (people who don't believe in evolution) are not as important as we think we are" is a stupid and unnecessary argument. First of all, "I" know I'm a great ape, I was born in the 20th century. Second, we are the most important species on the planet and the advancement of human knowledge through the efforts of great individuals is the greatest miracle of nature as far as I'm concerned.

Again, what is your definition of important? We are the most influential species, but I don't think we are the most important.

And yes, the great individuals like Newton and Einstein. But what about the common farmer who feed Einstein? And the lumberjack who cut the wood so that he could make his house? Or the millions upon millions of people that helped him be who he is? Do they not count? Are they not important? Would Albert be able to be who he was if a farmer wasn't producing his food? No, he would have to go to the fields and get it his own food and thus leaving no time for thought. That is what society is based on. WE are all in it.

And do you not think that there are a lot of great individuals who have done harm? Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Bush, all of this are "great individuals", yet they do harm. And is what I meant by the BS that we do.

I think you appreciate how stupid you are but you don't understand how brilliant some "monkeys" are, so brilliant they have almost nothing in common with the common man, let alone the common "monkey". Some great individuals have done some great things. Some insignificant individuals have done some insignificant things like make stupid movies for stupid youtube audiences who have never heard of evolution before.

Well then yes, I am really happy of being a stupid, insignificant monkey, for I would not like to be important by your definition.

[Kiljaden]

Above all, what is the argument? I can't figure out what in the hell "they want to be something else but they're not" means. What kind of conclusion is that?

He's trying to say that people don't want to think of themselves as animals, even though by definition we are. Humans want to think of themselves as greater, superior to, or more meaningful than just a product of nature. The funny thing is that to me, knowing that I'm an integral part of nature is a very meaningful thing to me.

[Da Skinna]

It's human nature to be arrogant about our ignorance, I think...

It reminds me of Aldous Huxley's book Ape and Essence. It pictures a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles that has humans breeding seasons screwed up, so people now go in heat a couple weeks of the year. They worship Satan, sacrifice deformed babies, and kill outsiders. They're all mutants.

But it's interesting in that many places it refers to people as apes and baboons rather than humans.

Without sophistication and continual self-renewal and advancement, we cease to be human, and fall into more primal, base instincts.

[dwringer]

We are no more apes than we are fish. We have evolved beyond them, and anyone who's ever tried to have a meaningful conversation with a monkey will realize this

[Kiljaden]

We are no more apes than we are fish. We have evolved beyond them, and anyone who's ever tried to have a meaningful conversation with a monkey will realize this

I hope you are being sarcastic - either that or you don't understand the word "Ape". Ape is a phylogenetic taxonomical classification. There is no singular animal that is the one and only "Ape" type of being. Apes are Hominids, it's just an arbitrary classification and humans meet the criteria.

[Copperknickers II]

We are no more apes than we are fish. We have evolved beyond them, and anyone who's ever tried to have a meaningful conversation with a monkey will realize this

We may have evolved a little beyond the usual classification of an ape, but we are certainly more apes than we are fish. I am speaking for myself, of course.

[dwringer]

I was being sarcastic, but:

Ape is a common English word denoting any non-human member of the Hominoidea superfamily of primates.[2] In taxonomy, it is sometimes used as a synonym for Hominoidea, which includes humans, alongside the more exclusive term 'non-human apes'. Due to its ambiguous nature, however, the term 'ape' is less suitable as a means of describing taxonomic relationships.[3]

Perhaps I should have used the term "colloquially-referenced apes"

[dwringer]

*floats by, slackjawed, staring blankly at Copperknickers*

[Magno]

Video makes sense but I cannot bring my self to accept I come from a monkey probably because I don't want to as the video states I want to be something greater, superior, god

[Kiljan Arslan]

Great Nihilistic .

[Da Skinna]

Maverick, you may be intelligent to know your own ignorance, but you can't be that intelligent in that you do nothing to learn from it. You attack ad hominem, are bitter over your existence and want others to be just as bitter, and you demand arguments from ideas too outlandish for your ignorant mind to grasp.

And just because you include a doesn't mean it was in good humor.

If you want a real flame here's one: you should've been a blowjob.

[Maverick]

Maverick, you may be intelligent to know your own ignorance, but you can't be that intelligent in that you do nothing to learn from it. You attack ad hominem, are bitter over your existence and want others to be just as bitter, and you demand arguments from ideas too outlandish for your ignorant mind to grasp.

And just because you include a doesn't mean it was in good humor.

If you want a real flame here's one: you should've been a blowjob.

The mind really is the greatest source of deception isn't it? And I didn't think it was in good humor. I don't need to insult you, I just have to quote you. For example:

"If you want a real flame here's one" - Da Skinna.

What do I need to add?

[Da Skinna]

A please.