Do you care what happens next?

Ha ha, what a bum Here's his main punchline: This assumes that Mr. Picard has objective knowledge that "in the cosmic scale" things like "real gain" have any meaning.He cannot possibly have this knowledge, and his ignorance of that fact is telling of his arrogance.
Or, if he understands a way to find such knowledge... not supporting such a pathway leaves his argument to rot.He does, however, have a point. That point is this:How the universe ends billions of years from now is not going to physically affect the state of affairs we find ourselves in currently.This point is valid and true. But, note that it is very specific. To take this point and expand it with such all-encompassing language as "...carries no weight or meaning whatsoever." Is simply wrong.When you talk about "meaning" or "caring" or other such things, you're discussing human feelings.
Your personal human feelings are not the same as everyone else's.It's quite possible that such future knowledge would have no effect on James. However, that says nothing for Tom, Dick or Sally.He's basically taking a personal, subjective view and then claiming that it's objective and unavoidable for everyone else.
And that's just silly.How silly it is becomes obvious if we continue his vein of reasoning:The state of the universe's ending billions of years from now has no meaning to anyone today.
The state of the universe billions of years from now has no meaning to anyone today.
The state of the universe millions of years from now has no meaning to anyone today.
The state of the universe thousands of years from now has no meaning to anyone today.
The state of the universe hundreds of years from now has no meaning to anyone today.
The state of the universe 10 years from now has no meaning to anyone today.
The state of the universe tomorrow has no meaning to anyone today.Obviously people care about tomorrow.
And, obviously, the overall "amount of care" will decrease as the time-frame is moved further and further into the future.
That's just how people are.However, to state that you can somehow confirm that this "overall amount of care" must, definitively reach zero for any imaginable future reference point... implies that you can, somehow, actually give a numerical value to this "overall amount of care." I'd like to see that calculation, it would make for good toilet paper Besides, as AZPaul3 has shown us, all anyone has to say is "well, I'm curious about it and I would like to know" and James Picard is forced to retreat into attempting to bully others into his position rather than relying on valid facts."It matters to me, I care." Is all anyone has to say to be absolutely proof-positive that James Picard is just plain wrong.
A reason for caring isn't even required... "caring" is not dependent on other people approving of your feelings Edited by Stile, : Messed up tags

Whoops, I forgot to even answer your questions Yes, I care.I care in the sense that I find it interesting and I would like to know.I don't care in the sense that I worry about the safety of my family and friends, though. My preference fluctuates on the sorts of human interaction I happen to have witnessed recently.Sometimes I see so much pain and hatred that I think things would simply be better if this whole place just shut down permanently. No consciousness, no objects, no nothing.Sometimes I see so much joy and fun that I couldn't bear to think that such things must have an ending, no matter how far away in the future. Such experiences should be available in some form, forever.I hope I'm never put into such a position that I have to be the one who chooses

Me too, as I am currently unable to achieve my goal of knowing everything. Maybe tomorrow Your sentiment is absolutely valid as well.
Even my statement that "how the universe will end will not affect us physically today" is suspect on some level of scrutiny, really. At least, it doesn't give me that warm-fuzzy "yeah, that's definitely correct" feeling.All we can really say is that we can't think of a way that how the universe will end could possibly affect us physically today.But me not-thinking-of-something-happening doesn't seem to have much of an affect on things happening all around me all the time.
Maybe it does affect us physically, and we're already affected in a certain way due to a certain way the universe will be ending... but it's just "normal" to us (because we've been "affected" for our entire existence). And perhaps we would care very much if it were different.I mean, I don't think it's *likely*... but that's far from providing a proof myself, even.Interesting thought exercises, but yeah... grains of salt

Exactly.And, of course, what matters to me most is my frame of reference (and any others I can contemplate given the chance). What?
Why is that the "ultimate test"... and even if it is, why does it imply that "none of this really matters at all"?Like you said... perspective and frame of reference.I can certainly understand how none of this really matters at all --- according to 150 million years from now.But, why choose that frame of reference (or any other) as the "ultimate test"?
Why, when we're talking about a subjective thing, do you think a time-line makes a difference?
It seems like you're trying to force some sort of "objectivity" on a subject that is, fundamentally, subjective.I mean, you're allowed to do whatever you want
I'm just saying that I don't understand this line of reasoning. "Objective" does not equal "better" or "more profound" or anything like that. In fact, for subjective matters, it actually means "lesser" and "no relevancy at all."It's a subjective thing to feel happy during a wedding.
It's an objective thing that weddings happen.Which is "better" or "more profound"?
That wedding happen? Or that people feel happy?If you think that weddings happening is more important, then I'll simply have to disagree, and you likely won't agree with the following, which are my thoughts on the matter: I would say that the "ultimate test" for such a subjective concept is the obvious, simple answer: how do you feel?I think it should come to no surprise that I, myself, don't care too much about 150 million years from now. After all, I'm here, I'm now, and I can't affect such a thing or know too much about it.Therefore, to me, the "ultimate test" is very much right here in the present. Which raises this stakes of "caring" and how much things "really matter."