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Actually I agree with you. But eventually we humans will have leave this planet when our sun begins to die, so it could be argued that we have to 'start somewhere'. That is assuming, however, that we haven't extinguished ourselves as a species long before that happens. And that is totally in the realm of possibility.
Or maybe we'll have figured out by then that nothing lasts forever and that's okay...
Mars is an unforgiving environment. What would be the point if we don't get along up there? 1 little microscopic mistake and everyone is dead.
My guess is the point would be the acquisition of wealth, power, dominance. And we'd get along well enough to make agreements to try our best not to make a microscopic mistake that would ruin everything for everyone. But beyond that the gloves would be off. In other words we'd do on Mars what we've done on earth.
I don't get the obsession with Mars. We have a perfect planet in Earth which we destroy, rape and abuse but yet feel with deserve another one. We don't get along here why are we expecting anything different on Mars.
I find it weird that people anthropomorphize inanimate objects. We are not destroying, raping, or abusing the planet... The planet and the biosphere will be just fine long after we're all gone as a species, eventually to be destroyed by the expanding sun. In fact, humans do not even have a capability to totally sterilize/destroy the environment even if we tried. I'd guess we would have to redirect a massive comet into Earth to do some significant level of damage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by K12144
Or maybe we'll have figured out by then that nothing lasts forever and that's okay...
Why speak in superlatives? There is a difference between ending everything within the next 1k-10k years, and surviving for the next ~1 trillion years giving rise to intelligences who have never had a chance to be born yet. Since we haven't yet discovered any sentient aliens, without us, the universe is dead. The people who do not want to go can always just stay back on Earth. In fact, I'd expect a lot of people to do just that, and fade into insignificance of the long history of survivors.
Why speak in superlatives? There is a difference between ending everything within the next 1k-10k years, and surviving for the next ~1 trillion years giving rise to intelligences who have never had a chance to be born yet. Since we haven't yet discovered any sentient aliens, without us, the universe is dead. The people who do not want to go can always just stay back on Earth. In fact, I'd expect a lot of people to do just that, and fade into insignificance of the long history of survivors.
I hate to break it to you, but human beings are not the end-all, be-all of the universe. It's not going to die without "us," I promise.
Or in other words, if a tree falls in the forest and there's no one there to hear it, it makes no sound.
And, what may be more important, that tree, that universe, and all the other non-human life forms that populate it do not care one rip whether humanity ever existed. The universe may not have the human equivalent of self-awareness, but it certainly is alive despite what homocentrists believe (a conceited line of thought I'll never get). Maybe some of those organisms will give an existential sigh of relief once we're long gone.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-31-2019 at 02:46 PM..
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