It's a jungle out there

Joseph Bailey41 said:So, you're talking about the Kirk crew being told by the Prime Directive not to meddle in the business of other planets? 😁

—well, there’s a similar vibe in some Eastern philosophies... it reminds me of a wildlife photographer who doesn't want to disturb a group of deer while he's snapping shots, which is totally fair enough

but when you have 2,600 colonists wanting to wipe out an entire forest-world inhabited by 3 million tiny people
without any real explanation... other than "hey, we're just aggressive guys who love destruction"... that just doesn't hold water for me.

it's like those two guys on the ship in the first Alien movie, just standing there talking about their paychecks... people don't sign up for a voyage across the stars just for the money; they do it to see the world and maybe find a partner😁
the whole motivation of pure destruction and greed feels incredibly narrow-minded.

Sam Martinez9 said:It’s becomes increasingly obvious that technology alone doesn't make us human. There has to be some other ingredient at play here—something more profound than just the tools we use.

The whole thing—technology and humanity—is tightly intertwined... as our species evolves, so does our tech, and vice versa.
The idea that we'll be sending a bunch of low-life scavengers to Mars in a few decades—people who would just tear apart any golden "pyramids" they stumble upon just to line their own pockets—is honestly laughable.
Whether we're talking about right now or 400 years from now... we should be sending the absolute best of us out into the cosmos.

I just can't wrap my head around anything else. I mean, look at history—scientists used to experiment on themselves, injecting serums or exposing themselves to radiation, all in the name of advancing the human race. The colonists we send to other planets shouldn't be the equivalent of the convicts the British sent to Australia... we need to be sending the finest examples of the human race.

Lawrence Booth2 said:—well, there’s a similar vibe in some Eastern philosophies... it reminds me of a wildlife photographer who doesn't want to disturb a group of deer while he's snapping shots, which is totally fair enough

but when you have 2,600 colonists wanting to wipe out an entire forest-world inhabited by 3 million tiny people
without any real explanation... other than "hey, we're just aggressive guys who love destruction"... that just doesn't hold water for me.

it's like those two guys on the ship in the first Alien movie, just standing there talking about their paychecks... people don't sign up for a voyage across the stars just for the money; they do it to see the world and maybe find a partner😁
the whole motivation of pure destruction and greed feels incredibly narrow-minded.

I read that a long time ago, so I can't recall all the specifics. The more recent memory I have is *Avatar* (which felt like a total rip-off of the novel mentioned). My take is that those villains who just love destroying things are really just a stand-in for the military-industrial complex. No matter how hard a sci-fi writer tries to build a totally imaginary world, it’s always going to be deeply rooted in our own socio-political reality.

Lawrence Booth2 said:The whole thing—technology and humanity—is tightly intertwined... as our species evolves, so does our tech, and vice versa.
The idea that we'll be sending a bunch of low-life scavengers to Mars in a few decades—people who would just tear apart any golden "pyramids" they stumble upon just to line their own pockets—is honestly laughable.
Whether we're talking about right now or 400 years from now... we should be sending the absolute best of us out into the cosmos.

I just can't wrap my head around anything else. I mean, look at history—scientists used to experiment on themselves, injecting serums or exposing themselves to radiation, all in the name of advancing the human race. The colonists we send to other planets shouldn't be the equivalent of the convicts the British sent to Australia... we need to be sending the finest examples of the human race.

I think you're being a bit vague here. What does "humanity advancing" actually mean? In what specific sense are we progressing?

That’s the kind of topic you could spend days debating, spinning off into endless tangents without ever landing on a definitive conclusion—mostly because there isn't one.

I remember my grandmother used to slaughter a chicken every Sunday back on the farm. I’ve never slaughtered a chicken in my life, and honestly, if I were forced to, I don't think I could do it. Technological progress has reached a point where most people just grab pre-packaged meals at a Walmart or a Kroger, food that's been processed into shapes that are barely recognizable. Many people haven't just avoided slaughtering a chicken; they've never even seen a live one outside of a nature documentary.

Does that make us more humane?

It doesn't.

Our current way of life is decimating entire species. It's not just about one chicken or the amount of livestock we need to survive; whole varieties of animals and plants are simply vanishing.

And the kicker is, we do this while being fully aware of the consequences.

So, can we really claim that we've become more civilized?

Mark Torres14 said:Let’s say humanity runs into an alien intelligence in the near future—something that evolved completely separately from us. That reality would absolutely wreck the scientific establishment. We'd be forced to tear up almost everything we think we know and rebuild our entire worldview from scratch.
The real question is: in this hypothetical scenario, which philosophical stances, theories, and methods become totally obsolete?
For instance, the idea that "man is the measure of all things" would become just as useless as claiming the Earth is a flat disc.

If something is fundamentally disconnected—meaning there's absolutely no common ground—then contact isn't even going to happen.
It's like saying two magnets with the same polarity are somehow going to snap together.

Sam Martinez9 said:I think you're being a bit vague here. What does "humanity advancing" actually mean? In what specific sense are we progressing?

That’s the kind of topic you could spend days debating, spinning off into endless tangents without ever landing on a definitive conclusion—mostly because there isn't one.

I remember my grandmother used to slaughter a chicken every Sunday back on the farm. I’ve never slaughtered a chicken in my life, and honestly, if I were forced to, I don't think I could do it. Technological progress has reached a point where most people just grab pre-packaged meals at a Walmart or a Kroger, food that's been processed into shapes that are barely recognizable. Many people haven't just avoided slaughtering a chicken; they've never even seen a live one outside of a nature documentary.

Does that make us more humane?

It doesn't.

Our current way of life is decimating entire species. It's not just about one chicken or the amount of livestock we need to survive; whole varieties of animals and plants are simply vanishing.

And the kicker is, we do this while being fully aware of the consequences.

So, can we really claim that we've become more civilized?

I feel like I'm just collecting points and bans because of you.

Just one more thing...
Here's our glorious progress for you:
Queen Victoria was terrified of death during childbirth,
but Kate and Meghan Markle aren't afraid.
See ya.

Lawrence Booth2 said:I feel like I'm just collecting points and bans because of you.

Just one more thing...
Here's our glorious progress for you:
Queen Victoria was terrified of death during childbirth,
but Kate and Meghan Markle aren't afraid.
See ya.

It isn't about me; it’s about you. Your actions carry consequences, and frankly, you shouldn't be looking for someone else to blame when things go south.

Lawrence Booth2 said:I feel like I'm just collecting points and bans because of you.

Just one more thing...
Here's our glorious progress for you:
Queen Victoria was terrified of death during childbirth,
but Kate and Meghan Markle aren't afraid.
See ya.

This is a genuine leap forward for modern medicine.

I have to be honest—I’ve never personally contributed anything groundbreaking to the fields of medicine or technology. I haven't exactly revolutionized science or engineered the next big tech breakthrough.

At the end of the day, we have to remember that a human being is so much more than just a collection of medical data and high-tech gadgets.

Sam Martinez9 said:It isn't about me; it’s about you. Your actions carry consequences, and frankly, you shouldn't be looking for someone else to blame when things go south.

This is a genuine leap forward for modern medicine.

I have to be honest—I’ve never personally contributed anything groundbreaking to the fields of medicine or technology. I haven't exactly revolutionized science or engineered the next big tech breakthrough.

At the end of the day, we have to remember that a human being is so much more than just a collection of medical data and high-tech gadgets.

True, you can't ignore the fundamental sciences—the natural ones, obviously. 👍

bluemason3 said:True, you can't ignore the fundamental sciences—the natural ones, obviously. 👍

Of course, from the moment anyone rolls out of bed, they’re thinking about physics, quantum mechanics, cellular biochemistry, hormonal balances, or the chemical makeup of some substance... things like that. Honestly, those are the primary topics of conversation in every local diner across the country.

Sam Martinez9 said:Of course, from the moment anyone rolls out of bed, they’re thinking about physics, quantum mechanics, cellular biochemistry, hormonal balances, or the chemical makeup of some substance... things like that. Honestly, those are the primary topics of conversation in every local diner across the country.

Are you hearing this, Parsifal? 🧐

Sam Martinez9 said:Of course, from the moment anyone rolls out of bed, they’re thinking about physics, quantum mechanics, cellular biochemistry, hormonal balances, or the chemical makeup of some substance... things like that. Honestly, those are the primary topics of conversation in every local diner across the country.

Only someone who actually cares would ☕

Sam Martinez9 said:Of course, from the moment anyone rolls out of bed, they’re thinking about physics, quantum mechanics, cellular biochemistry, hormonal balances, or the chemical makeup of some substance... things like that. Honestly, those are the primary topics of conversation in every local diner across the country.

Honestly, 90% of them just barely scrape by, while the lucky few actually have some sort of philosophy to live by.

frozenstag9 said:Honestly, 90% of them just barely scrape by, while the lucky few actually have some sort of philosophy to live by.

I’d say that sounds more like something an influencer would post.

Sam Martinez9 said:I’d say that sounds more like something an influencer would post.

Well, at least they're actually doing something...

frozenstag9 said:Well, at least they're actually doing something...

Productive work. Destructive work.

It’s better to sit on your hands than to go out and cause damage.