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Author Topic:   Philosophical implications of extinction
Annafan
Member (Idle past 4609 days)
Posts: 418
From: Belgium
Joined: 08-08-2005


Message 19 of 23 (248441)
10-03-2005 7:33 AM
Reply to: Message 1 by Phat
10-01-2005 2:12 PM


The evolution of "we"
1)Will humanity evolve on other planets? If so, do we (now)discuss this as our future, even though we will some day no longer exist?
The interesting word here is "our".
As some have already pointed out, it is not to be expected that something identical to Homo Sapiens would re-evolve, or evolve on another planet. Evolution is for a large part 'historical'. The directions it takes are guided only in a very broad sense by the environment, but the details depend on a long chain of more or less random choices. Even the evolution of something that resembles our intelligence doesn't look like a given.
However, I would argue that the meaning of "our" is subject to constant evolution (i.e. it becomes broader). As such, I think there is a good chance that we would indeed consider any extra-terrestrial lifeform, that looks like it will survive beyond our own extinction, to be "our" representatives.
What I mean with "broadening", is the ever shrinking antropocentrism. From a situation where white men couldn't even identify with people with a different skin-color, where slaves existed, where even women were considered inferior and where the uniqueness of earth and humans was a given, we have evolved to a situation where it is understood that all lifeforms share a common ancestor, and that earth is just a grain of sand in the universe.
Although we already understand that *rationally*, it will probably take something like the discovery of (unrelated) extraterrestrial life to really feel an *emotional* bond with any other earthly lifeform. Once we have that "antipode" available, it will feel totally natural to include all earth-based lifeforms into a new form of "us", against "them" (=extraterrestrial life, not from the same common ancestor).
Then, we could imagine a scenario where in a later stage still other, silicon-based, lifeforms would be discovered. This could lead to an inclusion of the other carbon-based lifeforms in an even broader "us", against the non-carbon based life.
Finally, let's say we would end up in a situation where we were completely sure that we were aware of ALL lifeforms in the universe. And that everything was extinct, except earth-based life and one example of (primitive?) silicon-based life on a distant planet. If we would then somehow know that earth-based life would come to an unavoidable end soon, I guess we would feel like the silicon based lifeforms would become "Ambassadors Of Life" for the entire universe, in our name.
That would be the ultimate "US": Life vs dead matter.
Although of course it would be perfectly valid to argue that life would arise again But it's a bit hard to feel related to a rock, lol.

This message is a reply to:
 Message 1 by Phat, posted 10-01-2005 2:12 PM Phat has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 20 by Phat, posted 10-05-2005 11:51 AM Annafan has not replied

  
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