why is our world going to hell?

789 Views 25 Replies 8 Participants Last post by ghost, Dec 3, 2004

dakotajo

Discussion Starter · Nov 20, 2004

Im about ready to give up reading the news. Everything I read recently is so depressing. Why is the world going to hell?

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People have been saying that the world is going to hell since they've been able to speak. It's a matter of degrees, who you are, where you live, your standards, what shit is going down at the current time....but the earth spins on regardless of what we do or don't do. A fantastic standard of life, view of the world, might be someone elses hell ! When there is a consensus on what we are trying to achieve, then I'll give a damn.

I reckon, as the final cosmic joke, that the entire population of the planet will achieve peace (assuming that that is what everyone wants - who's to say what is best ?!) in 4 billion years time...when the sun expands into a red giant and burns us all to death.

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Martinelv

· #18 · Dec 2, 2004

This is all monumentally complicated question, which (in line with my Existential/Nihillist/Camus-like-Absurdity beliefs) in my own view has a fairly simple answer. I wrote this a while ago, thusly:

"Human intelligence is self-defeating. Because of the nature of our 'intelligence, our special kind of 'self-awareness' and curiosity, and our drive to explore, ask questions that don't have answers, over-populate, the selfish gene, morality (for our own ends), is destined to self-destruct. Human intelligence is unable to stop it's downward spiral into self-destruction, because of it's very nature. The human race is a rapidly multiplying tumor on the planet. People may point to art. beauty, love, acts of complete sacrifice, but even these (if they too do not contribute to the final downfall, which they probably do) pale into insignificance to the descruction we are causing to ourselves and everything around us. And all of this in a staggeringly small scale of time. Even if we managed to populate every planet in the universe, there would be a limit to our expansion. Unless we come to some kind of 'enlightenment' that is at the moment beyond us, we are ultimately doomed But, as Camus said, the absudity of this state of affairs does not mean that we should all kill ourselves or go and live in a cave. We should just accept this life and all it's suffering, and do the best we can for ourselves and others, in the time we have."

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Martinelv

· #21 · Dec 2, 2004

Too kind.

Although I'm not really a philosopher, in any sense of the word. I'm rather loath towards indulging philosophy. Apart from making me dizzy, I can't really see how (apart from - perhaps, the philosophy of mathematics and logic) it really applies to anything. Like Mr I. Newton said, Poetry and Philosophy are very nice and dandy...but what do they DO? I guess they are usefull to study, however, much like Law and Latin, for precision of thought.

Anyway, that's just my 'view' of humanity, or rather humans as a species. Although the 'humans as tumour' thing is only an analogy, I can't but help and see the similarities between us on our planet, and a tumour, or perhaps a fast breeding parasite on an apple. Who can really hope to know though.

The 'Selfish Gene' is a title of a book by Richard Dawkins. The idea behind it is basically that we are doomed by our 'selfish' genes to continue to replicate, in spite of ourselves.

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Martinelv

· #23 · Dec 3, 2004

Is it true that in some states in America, it's illegal to teach Evolution in some schools ? I've heard rumours of this, but couldn't believe it. Actually, thinking about it, i can believe it, but still...

Freedom of religion, or freedom from religion ? I can never be sure.

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