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The world would go on, and in a more natural state, as was originally intended.
Originally intended by who or what? Man is a result of evolution and natural selection. To say there was an "intent" for the planet is suggesting there was some sort of intelligent design. If there was, how do you know what the intent of this intelligence was? How can you presume Man was not the intent?
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I have to agree with the "not so tragic if we went extinct" side. It would end human suffering at least. On top of that, humans have a nasty tendency to be indifferent to, or worse actually approve of, causing hurt, harm or degradation of others' dignity - especially those who are somehow distastefully different from the norm. This despite millennia of urging by our law codes, our philosophers, and our religious leaders to refrain from doing so. Yes, the barebone basics of the concept of human rights have been here that long.
Despite appeals to our 'better angels', logic and reason, and even fear of a horrid afterlife - we still are no further along than before. Even what little progress we have made is due to the out-groups gaining enough personal power to successfully assert their rights to just treatment. If even after all these millennia, our main yardstick for measuring people's deservance of even the basics of dignity and respect still remains a person's ability to retaliate against wrongful acts against them, then I don't have a whole lot of hope that we'll ever become a truly civilized species. What kind of purpose is that?
Having said that, IF humans as individuals do have a purpose, it is to relieve suffering of others to the extent that our anti-suffering acts don't cause even greater suffering for others. Pleasure as a purpose? Tempting, but I can't buy it is the primary purpose. Numerous instance exist of people obtaining "surplus good" (more good than one actually needs to live at a humane level) at the expense of others' vital interests. If it means "goodness for me at the expense of thee", then that isn't truly an overall good at all - it's gaining a good and making others pick up the tab. That is why I say suffering prevention takes moral precedence over gaining surplus good.
As said, given our track record, I don't have a whole lot of hope that we will ever truly change. As such, I wouldn't find it a huge tragedy if we, with little pain and suffering, faded away.
There is a little voice inside my mind that insists it would be a disaster...and it's correct, in a sense. Even if we all went painlessly at once the result would be horrendous. Billions of dreams would die. Billions of goals would never be achieved. That little voice knows I AM IMPORTANT. It doesn't care that it its existence is inconsequential to the universe outside itself. It knows it's important.
There's another little voice in my mind that knows it's inconsequential...and it's correct, in a sense. It knows we won't know we're gone when we're gone. It knows that our species could quite possibly destroy ourselves and even our remains will never be discovered by future intelligent civilizations. Even if they are discovered they may be no more than a curiosity. It knows that even if our species did spread to the stars, we might be of assistance to nonhuman species...or we might be a dangerous force of destruction that spreads like locusts across the cosmos, devouring all we come into contact with. Maybe, should we spread across the cosmos, our descendants will follow trends we've seen developing so far that lead to things like endangered species lists and a widespread hatred of genocide. Maybe, though, we'll note in our travels across the cosmos that the complex minerals and water that are so vital to our existence tend to be most common on planets most likely to contain life. Maybe we'll take only what we need, and strive to harm as few living organisms as possible. Maybe instead we'll crack the worlds open so as to more easily harvest the ripe minerals within. This second little voice realizes that someday the stars are predicted to burn out, and no more will be formed. They'll cool into black dwarfs. They'll exist as hidden diamond worlds. The planets will decay into microscopic particles and disperse throughout the cosmos. Galaxies will have spread so far from each other our descendants, if they're still around, will have no way of knowing other galaxies beyond a few neighboring ones ever existed. Even the diamond worlds will decay and disperse. The black holes will be the last to go...if Hawking radiation exists. Then our universe will be dark and silent and incapable of supporting life of any kind...unless some truly miraculous changes occur (or NASA is wrong).
The first little voice doesn't care about anything that second little voice has to say most of the time though.
Whether or not humanity's destruction would be a loss depends on which of those voices we're listening to more at the time we're answering this question, I think.
Humans are very arrogant and egocentric. Of course we believe that we are special and that each of our lives matters and is important in some universal way. It's lunacy on our parts, though, to believe ourselves so important. As hard as we try to succeed and to prove our worth by achieving and excelling, it changes not the fact that we, along with all of our achievements, awards, medals, and riches will, in a very short time, be obliterated, along with everybody that we ever knew, and at that point, it will be as if we had never been born in the first place. Yet we continue to chase various brass rings and pile up the achievements, trying hard to climb various social and corporate ladders, all the while knowing, at least casually, that it's all a losing proposition that ultimately ends in destruction and anonymity. But our egos are both unbelievably powerful and fragile, and that causes us humans to believe and do some crazy sh*t.
Humans are very arrogant and egocentric. Of course we believe that we are special and that each of our lives matters and is important in some universal way. It's lunacy on our parts, though, to believe ourselves so important. As hard as we try to succeed and to prove our worth by achieving and excelling, it changes not the fact that we, along with all of our achievements, awards, medals, and riches will, in a very short time, be obliterated, along with everybody that we ever knew, and at that point, it will be as if we had never been born in the first place. Yet we continue to chase various brass rings and pile up the achievements, trying hard to climb various social and corporate ladders, all the while knowing, at least casually, that it's all a losing proposition that ultimately ends in destruction and anonymity. But our egos are both unbelievably powerful and fragile, and that causes us humans to believe and do some crazy sh*t.
I don't think it's arrogant and egocentric to think we are important. I see it as just one of multiple true perspectives. I am important. If I die, my whole universe ends, to me. I can see just how extraordinarily important my life and feelings are by chopping my arm off with a machete. I will feel my arm chopped off by that machete, and then I will do just about anything to stop the feeling and then I will truly understand the lessons my ancestors have known ever sense they became self-aware...and maybe before then. I will understand my importance, and the importance of my feelings, wants, and interests.
Through science I understand my insignificance too. Both perspectives are correct, I think.
The only problem I see from the point of view of the natural world is that man-made things - such as nuclear reactors, oil wells and pipelines, etc. - would continue to cause incredible damage to the world as they deteriorated.
The only thing I'd consider a concern would be radioactive components (like you mentioned, reactors) left behind. Beyond that, the human race is somewhat ignorant to how fast 'Mother Nature' will be able to cover and erase earthly scars formed by mankind's existence.
From our perspective it would seem the world would be a more lonely place. Probably the most intelligent animal that this planet supports or has ever supported. just being erased either gradually or abruptly is something most of us would have a hard time reconciling in an innate way. Our very nature is to continue on as a species and that most inquisitive and intelligent and beautiful but also destructive animal no more, well from this human perspective that would be a sad day and a lonely world.. The feeling of loss isn't the problem when that day comes because there would be no feeling. Its all the preceding years before it as we as a species anticipate what we know will ultimately be our fate.
Something can only have value if there's an intelligent creature to appreciate it as valuable. Unless there's intelligent life out there with a capability to think of our destruction as a loss, then it won't be.
The universe sure couldn't care less, we're just another bunch of atoms clustered together.
Our existence carries no weight.
Last edited by Arigarisha; 06-04-2016 at 10:12 AM..
The only thing I'd consider a concern would be radioactive components (like you mentioned, reactors) left behind. Beyond that, the human race is somewhat ignorant to how fast 'Mother Nature' will be able to cover and erase earthly scars formed by mankind's existence.
I did a lot of oil field work in the amazon. We would clear a pad, drill the well, install the equipment then let it run. 6 months later we would go back and couldnt find the site it was so over grown.
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