[Tim_Lou]

hmmm, what do you think about humans' future?
are we all gonna die off?
like dinosaurs?
or survive and evolve? (next planet maybe)
do you think that the technology is going fast enough to avoid some massive destructions?

massive extinction is a part of our nature...
the humans ear has just begun, so we dont know much....


(any comments?)

[Uncle Martin]

What will be the end of humans?...Hmmm...

The species may not end. I hope it doesn't. Do you know something I don't? Alright, you've covered quite a few possibilities. If we don't destoy ourselves either through war or environmental devastation, and we're real lucky and don't get creamed by a meteorite or comet or killed by some plague, we will probably evolve. What we evolve into is pure speculation, we're limited only by our imaginations. Some form of man/machine combination? Or will our machines become sentient and controll us, or kill us? If we can somehow avoid an awful lot of pitfalls and evolve to the level of moving to other solar systems our species could continue infinitely. Technology has been around for a relatively short time, it is impossible to know what could take place in 1000 years. A million. Hypothetically, if you traveled 1 billion years into the future and man had survived, I doubt you would recognize your own decendents.

[GAHD]

double post

[GAHD]

Wouild be interesting; I think that man-machine isn't so likely, more like geneticly engineered, surgically alterd homo-superior or homo-uber.

[Freethinker]

1) ALL species will eventually come to an end (assuming an ultimate end to "the universe and everything")

2) I keep seeing posts here which promote anthropomorphic prejudice. Asserting that because humans have some trait, it must be benefitial. e.g. that a higher intellect is an evolutionary advantage. History does not show that to be true. Why do we ASSUME we should have some extensive species life span?

3) Based on current rends the best chance the human race has for long term evolutionary existence is artificial enhancements. Genetic modifications, proto-human development.

For more on Trans-humanism see:

"The New Perfectionism
Suppose you were offered a photographic memory, perfect pitch, ultraviolet-spectrum vision, heightened disease resistance, customized skin and eye color, and a one-thousand-year life-expectancy. Would you accept? Now suppose you were told that by doing so you would cease to be human...."

http://www.secularhumanism.org/libra...dacey_24_4.htm

[Freethinker]

Now a related question, or series of them. I forget when or how these were first presented to me. I think it was in "Science and Religion, Are They Compatible?" Edited by Paul Kurtz.

http://www.prometheusbooks.com/catalog/book_1309.html


But the first question was:

Will humans ever reach physical immortality? - Will science ever develop to the point where we can maintain an individual's life for an extensive period of time. Hundreds, thousands of years? Technically there is no reason why not. Artificial bodies, advanced transplants, ... Given enough time and resources is there any reason that rthis can not be achieved?

My answer to this is "Yes of course it is possible and almost certainto happen at some time in the future. Thus the next question is then...

2) How long will it take? Should technology advance sufficiently in the next 100, 1,000, 2,000, ... years to allow an extreme average life span?

It would seem at today's pace, if it is not continually impeded by artifical religious constraints, we should achieve a dramatic increase in life span in easily the next 1,000 years. Perhaps with-in the life span of some living right now.

Yet at EVERY juncture, religion has intentionally stopped such advances. Yes the objection of fanatical religious authorities has eventually been overcome and each time the human race has benefitted from the very advances the religionists have tried to stop.

This brings us around to the final question:

3) If it had not been for Christianty's continual negative interference with medical advancement over the last 2,000 years, would we already have accomplished it?

[Uncle Martin]

[quote]
Originally posted by: Freethinker



2) I keep seeing posts here which promote anthropomorphic prejudice. Asserting that because humans have some trait, it must be benefitial. e.g. that a higher intellect is an evolutionary advantage. History does not show that to be true. Why do we ASSUME we should have some extensive speiefs life span?



The topic IS "end of humans". We are at the top of the food chain due to our intellect, it surely isn't our speed, stength, stealth, etc... By discussing the end or future evolution of the species(humans), we are not denying other species. When discussing the species as a whole, I fail to see the relevence of an individual lifespan.

[Freethinker]

Originally posted by: Uncle Martin

The topic IS "end of humans"...I fail to see the relevence of an individual lifespan.

I did specifically discuss (though I misspelled) "species life span".

As to "individual" life span. the long a member of a species is viable, the more progeny it can have, thus the evolutionary advantage.

[Uncle Martin]

Originally posted by: Freethinker


2).... Why do we ASSUME we should have some extensive speiefs life span?

I did specifically discuss (though I misspelled) "species life span".



If not for the "f" I'd have figured that out. Much easier to understand now.

[dtseng]

Tim_Lou,

Many people wonder if the human species will go on forever. Most, I would hazard to guess, don't eally think so. They hope so, but they aren't overly concerned about it one way or another. Ask yourself why not?

Is it because Man is fundamentally flawed? Is it because we are not meant to find utopia or the Garden of Eden? Is it because we are meant to be the "rulers" of the world we live in? Perhaps people don't believe we have any choice in the matter, that it is "human nature" to ruin this world with our stupidity, shortsightedness, and greed?

I believe we can live forever as a species. But we need to fundamentally change the way we answer the above questions. Human nature is not to destroy the world. OUR CULTURE's nature is to destroy the world. We need to look to other cultures and see how they do things right.

Check out www.ishmael.org

Or read "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. It'll make you think deep about your question.

Peace,
Dave