What purpose does man serve?

[morteduzionism]

Just about anyone could list numerous examples of how an animal or plants life benifits some other animal or plant...like bees pollinating plants(the bee drinks the nectar and inadvertently collects pollen on its' legs...which is spread to other areas/plants)...so on and so forth

I suppose one way of putting it would be: Everything has a role to play.

but...

What is man's role?

Leaving aside Genesis 1:28 and 'technology'* what benifit does man provide the planet? It is my opinion that while man needs the planet and all its life forms to continue its existence, the planet and the life forms do not need man for theirs.

*technology does not count as a "benifit"(IMO) because nothing 'technological' has been 'essential' for the survival of the planet

[Falconius]

Who cares? We're here and that's that.

Same as all the other creatures.

[Cataclysm]

Humans are needed so that cows can exist. Without us they would all die. Cows are so dependent on us they would go extinct if humans vanished

[removeduser_426582376423734]

Ehem....

Cows depend on grass.

[Mathias]

Ehem....

Cows depend on grass.

Cows are easy prey and human extinction will lead to an increase in predators.

[Aetius]

I started a thread like this awhile back.
Humans can be grouped in the same category as viruses/parasites. We do nothing but consume the planet we live on until its dead and then we die.

Hooray!

[Douchebag]

LOL. Reminds me of this video...

[morteduzionism]

I started a thread like this awhile back.
Humans can be grouped in the same category as viruses/parasites. We do nothing but consume the planet we live on until its dead and then we die.

Hooray!

it seems that way...lol

lol...what if that is our role!?

how about this: at the rate we're going, with future technological advances, we could one day "seed" a planet with the various building blocks of life...we'll probably know how to "create" the exact life forms we want...that might even be 'how' we travel through the stars...

that sounds crazy but...let me see if I can make it crazier

sticking with the 'humans = virus' model...that would be a slick way to 'infect' planets: 1)'seed' a planet 2)let the lifeform mature(go through the life stages until we once again start looking to the stars) 3)develop technology in genetics/etc 4)find new planet...start over

furthermore, this crazy idea could sort of explain the absence of a 'missing link' and somewhat supports creationist...we were created(in a sense)...and it was in the image of "God"...it just so happens the humans before us are what we consider "god"...

i know that's crazy...but is it scientifically impossible? some scientist theorize that life came to earth on comets...don't we have the capabability of bombarding mars with genetic material?(not implying it would produce life only suggesting we could introduce human biological material to the planet)

[Elfdude]

Evolution doesn't favor animals who have purposes. See rats, see pigs, see any widespread animal.

The animals who rely upon each other are simply at an evolutionary dead end, forever limited by their niche.

[Sil3nce]

one word : None.

[Rhinosaur]

Depends on the man.

[Curtana]

Ssssh. If the other half of the human race cottons on to this...

[chris_uk_83]

The purpose of man is to create TWC. Without TWC the world would not be habitable.

[Exploder]

Umm, please explain to me why there must be a purpose for man.

[olvios]

Our role is to increase complexity and entropy so that there will be an "evolution" in the terms of the universe and not of man.

[boofhead]

Mankind is in the position of being the only animal on earth to be able to analyze itself imaginatively from (mentally) outside itself and make decisions accordingly. Self-realization. Contemplation. Introspective threads such as this one here.

It seems to me that as we have this ability it was meant for a purpose, just as only the anteater has such an amazing tongue and method of survival as it displays.

We have a purpose, but we cannot fully grasp it, as we are the fish in the fishbowl, and have 3-second memories. We are here, so we should live, and make best of whatever circumstances we find ourselves in - death will find us all, so in this life the important thing is actually to fulfill our "purpose", and LIVE. More than that, live well. It will be centuries or millenia before the answer to the question posed will be known by anyone human (if at all) - so relax.......don't worry...be happy...have a laugh....make babies...appreciate it all...then die like all the rest of us.

[Curtana]

Missing links are a load of cobblers. There is so much evidence for evolution. You're not wrong about the problem of 'the origin of life' though. Panspermia is the theory the earth was seeded with life from comets or just somewhere else. Doesn't really solve the problem, just pushes it onto some other rock floating around in space.


What I'm circuitously working my way towards is that if anything all life is a virus. The universe is desperately trying to flatten everything out. Take everything to its lowest energy, most stable state. Entropy. Life, us, keeps pushing things in the other direction. We're ALL like a cosmic influenza virus.


So don't save the Earth with environmentalism. Save the Universe. Kill. (I am joking now. Please don't take that seriously.)

[Blau&Gruen]

Question: What purpose does man serve?
Answer 1): The end in itself is his purpose.
Answer 2): The next is his purpose.
Answer 3): To see the next as end and middle of all purposes.

[boofhead]

Question: What purpose does man serve?
Answer 1): The end in itself is his purpose.
Answer 2): The next is his purpose.
Answer 3): To see the next as end and middle of all purposes.

i.e. our purpose is to be who we are, and do what we do......

[Blau&Gruen]

i.e. our purpose is to be who we are, and do what we do......

Yes, but we are not alone. I.e., we have an obligation.