Evolution and Specialness of Humanity

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What is your theory of origins so far?

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Concerning human origins, I believe that all meaning and significance to life on earth, relationships with peers, and other humans is lost in the theory of evolution. I feel that I become part of "just another species", and any dignity, or specialness that I may have just loses all of it's value within evolution. What is there to live for, to strive to become, to live a "good" life when I am just a silly creature, without any value higher than that of any another organism's. I don't see the motivation this way. For this, I simply cannot accept evolution as the way things happen. Starting with a blank earth with basic elements, add energy, and more complex substances materialize, (Oparin's Hypothesis) from there over time the complexities increase, as shown clearly in the famous "Miller and Urey" experiment, re-done hundreds of times. I can see the evidence, it's obviously there, within the Fossil Record it is plain as day. As sketchy as it is, the evidence simply sways towards evolution.But given the conditions of my environment, and how I feel inside humanity, evolution is false, and it is an expression of the forgotten God. Evolution attempts to make me feel small, not unique, to make everything insignificant, nothing matters in life, my discussions here are worthless, and when I die, I will lose my soul, and my shell will rot in the ground, Love becomes non-existant, and feeling for others is lost. I don't see it the world's way, and I never will, if bigfoot was found, and we could watch evolution happen somehow, I would never fall in to the illusion, I am special.This message has been edited by AdminAsgara, 10-04-2005 08:41 PM

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I have a different view of evolution. It tells me that "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and "love your neighbor as yourself" really are our purpose in life. We are members of species that depends very much on one another. We do need each other. We are important to one another.

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Wait, I know this book! (love your neighbor) BibleAccording to evolution, we need each other to survive, but I don't think of survival when I befriend someone, or when I talk with my friends. Any emotion involved becomes simply "part of the process", and does not retain it's beauty.

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empathy is non-existant as we reign terror on others

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If we found out diamonds were made by a different process than the presently understood one, would it make them anyless special?

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Well they probably wouldn't be as rare, making them less sought after, elimintating the millions of years of pressure.

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I never understood why it matters how we got to be the way we are. Specialness seems like it would be an inherent quality of an object, not something that hinges on its origins.

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Specialness doesn't hinge directly on how a certain thing came to be, but in our case with humanity I feel that it mos def does. The process of survival eliminates a meaningful result of humanity's stuggles, relationships. If the world knew or thought that it was really about survival, I doubt people would bother caring about anything, and Huxley's imagination would run wild.

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empathy is non-existant as we reign terror on others

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First problem - Where in evolution does it say that? How do you know that you aren't carrying "THE" gene? The immunity to the 2014 Avian Flu Pandemic, or whatever. You can have evolved and still be special.

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As much as this idea may excite you, I think it sucks.I would rather have a worthwhile destiny, to a worthwhile end. A worthwhile afterlife.

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Second problem - There are SIX BILLION people on the planet. How special did you think you were in the first place?

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A thought like this is demeaning to yourself, knowing that you think this, makes you one in six billion. People that change the world were more than your numbers, the world did not change them. I guess I think of myself differently.

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empathy is non-existant as we reign terror on others

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In the same way, I know that my capacity for emotion and feelings (and perhaps even my sense of spirituality and my morality) can be explained through the natural selection of my ancient ancestors. But I nonetheless acknowledge my feelings and moral sense and continue to act on them.

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I couldn't live like that. You make it sound like you aren't unique. Just another organism going with the flow. Come on.

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empathy is non-existant as we reign terror on others

You haven't done a thing, how can you be proud? You have a false feeling of rememberance to an hypothesized idea. I don't see how any of these emotions can be drawn out of a story of death, only the fit survive, not the true in spirit. Relating made-up stories of misery, and destruction ---> extinction of species to a family "rag to riches" story is a poor attempt to get me to see it your way. I don't see beauty in a species being erased, to the struggle to reproduce, there isn't anything there, in this idea, nothing magnificient, yet you seem to believe that you can actually see all of this as a triumph for your people. What about the less developed, the homo habilis', erectus', the neanderthal, are they meaningless too, because if what you believe is true, then I might feel depressed for the thousands who were simply "weaker", and "unfit". But I don't feel depressed, I feel rejuvenated in my beliefs from this log, I feel happy that I don't see it your way. That I don't agree to fall in with the "scientific community, and agree to give up my love for others, my loving relationships to "survival", to "social development", to "social human evolution".Men's recorded and heavily followed ideas cannot demean God.

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But hey, if you'd rather deny your humble beginning and prefer to believe that all your most valuable possessions (knowledge and education) simply fell from the sky and landed on your head, more power to you! Some of us actually look back and feel proud of the hard work we have done.

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There is no "looking back" my friend, you're "looking back" into the mind of a theorist, and the writings of recorded thought. Empathy for these "strugglers" can't exist. Especially if the struggle to present day itself is speculative, and certainly interpretive.

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Just curious, do you also believe that god built the pyramids and other wonders of the world as well? After all, we mere humans couldn't have built such magnificent structures, right?

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Obviously you're joking, or trying to belittle me.This message has been edited by prophex, 10-05-2005 07:20 PM

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Charlie, may I ask why such a low opinion of humanity? I really only see this in Christianity. It was Xianity that told me I was nothing, evolution shows me that I am very special and unique.

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Evolution shows you that you are a result of lightning bolts striking a young earth.Christianity shows you that you were specifically created, with love, with reason.

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Xianity has brainwashed people into believing that without god they are worthless.

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I don't know where you get this from...Without God, I am simply lost.

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Without god telling you not to rape, pillage, and plunder would you be out there doing it all the time?

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Without me being an emulation, maybe. But God has never had to specifically order me not to attack someone, never had to tell me I was special, my point was that within evolution I have no uniqueness or specialness.The more I look at it, the more I realize that blind accpetance leads to a pretend passion for imaginary past events.

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empathy is non-existant as we reign terror on others

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What do you mean by "you are/aren't unique", why is this important?

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Uniqueness is useless in human evolution, it is not important, a robot can survive. Why find oneself, when all you need to do is find a mate.Uniqueness in reality is extremely important, allowing "ordinary" people to think of new ideas, and seek truth. To find God.You ask: Why is the destruction of being unique bad?You become less than a human, your destiny doesn't matter, when you die, you die one in six billion, without anything special that can be yours. You lose all motive to become or do the extraordinary. Equated with organisms that had not your capabilities.

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empathy is non-existant as we reign terror on others

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Blind acceptance is what happens when you close your eyes and refuse to see the evidence in front of you because it makes you feel icky, and instead blindly follow anything that tells you you're special.

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ickyI can see the evidence, but why regard the physical when spiritual truth resounds. Evolution is of the world, and the world is simply a trap. After the earth, nothing matters to you and the evo-bots, to me it just begins to matter.

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empathy is non-existant as we reign terror on others

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So would you say the only reason you are "good" is in the hope of getting a reward for it?

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no

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If we were robots, that might indeed be reason for despair. But we are not robots. There is nothing in the theory of evolution that requires we be like robots.

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Requires, no. Allows, yes.

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I am smiling.

I can't relate to you, you're clouded with science, you forgot the essential, you forgot love, you forgot God, anything with any meaning at all is gone.This message has been edited by prophex, 10-05-2005 08:46 PM

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I am smiling.

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Ah, but here you are mistaken. An acceptance of evolution has nothing to do with whether or not anyone has faith in an afterlife.

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If life were about survival, and reproduction, then I wouldn't want to see what afterlife was.

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I am smiling.

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Without reproduction or survival of individuals, there is no continuation of life.

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The point was more about what is most important about life, not what needs to exist for life to be.

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I am smiling.

hahhahaha
you rock

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I am smiling.