Eventual destruction of the Earth

[Professor Jumbo]

In approximately 4.5 billion years the sun with swell to red giant state, engulfing the orbit of Venus. The earth will be turned to an atmoshpereless nickle and iron cinder. Aproximately 100 million years later the sun will swell to red super giant state, engulfing the orbit of Earth. The planet will then be utterly destroyed. It is likely, however, that some other event will wipe out life on earth years before any of that happens. So what's the point then? Why advocate for any kind of "preservation of the Earth" other than for momentary and selfish reasons?

[Fractual_]

who told you that?


the reason to care for the earth is because it is a living thing, like you and me, no better or worse. it does however deserve our love! it is also our home, and our only one at that.

[mother_nature's_son]

It is likely, however, that some other event will wipe out life on earth years before any of that happens. So what's the point then? Why advocate for any kind of "preservation of the Earth" other than for momentary and selfish reasons?
Why don't you just kill yourself? C'mon, stop being so selfish.

[Fishndude]

Damn I better start building my underground bunker,sounds like we don't have long .lol

[know1nozme]

Hey, "preservation of the Earth for momentary and selfish reasons" - that's good enough for me! No point in arguing about something that is expected to happen 4.5 billion years form now. That's a long time off.

How about preservation of a stable living environment for the next hundred-thousand years or so... Or at least for the next seven generations or so... You know, long enough for us to get off this ball and out into the REAL uncharted territory. Once we have figured out a way to expand beyond this solar system the destruction of the Earth will be a moot point.

It’s survival of the species that I am concerned with. Let’s see how far we can get before we wipe ourselves out from sheer boredom, eh? But that means taking good care of the planet we have until we are strong enough to leave it and become the hermit crabs of the universe.

[POPthree13]

Life as we know it has come from a strand of reproducing RNA to the amazing variety of creatures on the planet today in around 3 Billion years. Did they ever ask what the point was? If we have another 4.5 Billion years to grow what new and amazing thing may come out of it.

I think it is shortsighted human defeatism that makes us think that just because something must end it must not be worth it. If you really look at life that idea seems really foolish. Just because your going to die you can find no reason to live? Just because the sun will set you have no reason to make a day of it?

Whatever is going down here on earth is a lot bigger than just a human's view of existence and for billions of years life has gone on without any idea that there would be a tomorrow. So... how about being at least as positive as a fly or an ant or a virus?

[osiris]

the way i look at it is, there is no ultimate purpose in living, so therefore no ultimate purpose in giving up. Like a fire, you can burn fast and bright or slow and dull, or slow and dull then fast and bright then slow and dull... shit... you think the fire cares about how much fuel is left? nah, just the action of burning it until it is gone!

much love :)

[themnax]

tangable worlds come and go like tangable anything else. its a big universe and worlds are always being born and lost. but hey four and half billion is a pretty good chunk of time. our species has only been arround yet for a couple of million. in four and a half billion we'll either all be long gone or know how to look for greener pastures or even possibly have evolved into total nontangability ourselves. today we have a green world to enjoy, why not let's just enjoy it while we have it and try not to screw it up (any worse then we may already have).

[Fractual_]

tangable worlds come and go like tangable anything else. its a big universe and worlds are always being born and lost. but hey four and half billion is a pretty good chunk of time. our species has only been arround yet for a couple of million. in four and a half billion we'll either all be long gone or know how to look for greener pastures or even possibly have evolved into total nontangability ourselves. today we have a green world to enjoy, why not let's just enjoy it while we have it and try not to screw it up (any worse then we may already have).

lol yeah, by that time we will probably each be our own planets! communicating telepathically of course!

[FreakyJoeMan]

There's no point to anything, and that's the point.

[sky_pink]

Hmm. Well, obviously we don't know the meaning of it all. All I can suggest is that something might happen in those 4.5 billion years, something for which we should be alive and well. The second coming? The discovery of a wormhole so we can travel to... wherever? The ability to travel to beyond our Solar system? Who knows.

[FreakyJoeMan]

Heh, heh. We'll all become star babies and travel the universe in our little luminescent bubbles.

[sky_pink]

Well, well, well, who here has watched to many movies... or rather one movie too many times? :rolleyes:

[FreakyJoeMan]

I'm just a psychonaut, girl.

[Professor Jumbo]

Sigh, I suppose that I should have been a bit more simplistic. Eventually, all life on earth will be wiped out. Currently, humanity seems to trying to speed up the process. Rampant pollution ruining the ecosystem, continual extinctions upsetting the food chain, deforestation contributing to extinctions as well as altering whether patterns and atmospheric composition. We have nuclear proliferation to think about as well as mass stravation, over developement, desertification due to over grazing. Possibly global warming, a shrinking ozone layer. I could go on and on and on.

I reiterate; eventually, all life on earth will be wiped out. Sure we can come up with fantasies about space ships and telepathic existence, and maybe some day we will be able to permanently reside off planet I'd like that, but that's not the point. The point is this: Once it's all gone , once no life is left it won't matter that we didn't save it because nobody will be left to care. Why then does it matter that we preserve life for the time being? Why does it matter when it ends?

[sky_pink]

Hell, you can't know how it'll end. That's the beauty of it.

[osiris]

it doesn't matter that it will end, or if it will end. it matters that we are here, now.

much love :)

[know1nozme]

Sigh, I suppose that I should have been a bit more simplistic. Eventually, all life on earth will be wiped out. (snip) The point is this: Once it's all gone , once no life is left it won't matter that we didn't save it because nobody will be left to care. Why then does it matter that we preserve life for the time being? Why does it matter when it ends?For the time being we have some measure of control and a little thing called hope. These are reason enough to care about maintaining decent living conditions on this little rock we call home (it isn't the Earth we are saving, it's US). Seems to me that you have at least a cursory interest in this or else, with that attitude, you'd have snuffed it by now, so I'm sure you see my reasoning here. Why concern yourself with a "someday" that is so far off? There is going on NOW that could be occupying you attention.

Any parent worth the title will tell you that the birth of a child creates a whole new paradigm for living: Insuring the future of the child. It is built into the instinctual make-up of many creatures living on the planet - such an instinct must serve a purpose, or the universe/evolutionary process wouldn't have bothered with it. Simply because you don't understand that purpose doesn't invalidate it. It is obvious; you see it every day, if you bother to look. You might as well be asking "Why does a mother bear defend her cubs from harm?" Same answer.

[osiris]

it goes even deeper than instinct, if that is possible to contemplate.


much love :)

[7river]

In approximately 4.5 billion years the sun with swell to red giant state, engulfing the orbit of Venus. The earth will be turned to an atmoshpereless nickle and iron cinder. Aproximately 100 million years later the sun will swell to red super giant state, engulfing the orbit of Earth. The planet will then be utterly destroyed. It is likely, however, that some other event will wipe out life on earth years before any of that happens. So what's the point then? Why advocate for any kind of "preservation of the Earth" other than for momentary and selfish reasons?
eventually you will die as well...why bother taking in nourishment and seeking shelter? why even attempt comunication at all...it does not matter, your fate is sealed...all our fates are sealed...everyone will die. why do we stop for a child crossing the street...will she not die within a hundred years?

i think in our hearts we know we are here to remember our place of harmony with the one.if we get quiet, we do what feels right and brings no harm.

[Ediction421]

Selfish reasons?
Whats selfish about haveing to conserve and preservate so that more people will be able to expierence life on earth in the future?
Personally, I don't care either way, because if you get really deep into that theoretical Omnipresent, Omnipotent force of energy/conciuosness shit, then were all really just memory's of thing's that have already happened, or never really happened at all. Memory's being remembered with self imposed limitations so as to trick ourself into thinking there is a meaning to our existence, and to keep busy maybe, so that we don't decide to not think and therefore not be, or something thats vaguely similiar to that somewhat misconstrued interpetation.

[Professor Jumbo]

Selfish reasons?
Whats selfish about haveing to conserve and preservate so that more people will be able to expierence life on earth in the future?

Selfish in terms of personal greed and such, but moreimportantly selfish from a species standpoint if such a thing can be said to exist. Que human race do we strive to protect the environment, ecosystems, various endangered species merely for the future enjoyment of the human race? Is there another reason somewhere? If destruction of whole ecosystems and environments would somehow bring greater happiness, contentment, satisfaction, range of experience and etcetera to the human race would we then be compelled to destroy instead of protect and preserve?

This is more along the lines of what I mean by "selfish reasons".

[know1nozme]

Selfish in terms of personal greed and such, but moreimportantly selfish from a species standpoint if such a thing can be said to exist. Que human race do we strive to protect the environment, ecosystems, various endangered species merely for the future enjoyment of the human race?

From the scientific/empirical standpoint, do you consider satifying our curiosity concerning what we might eventually be able to achieve, given the time to evolve byeond our current state (socially/ intellectually/ technologically/ physically/ whatever) as being a form of greed or selfishness?


Is there another reason somewhere? If destruction of whole ecosystems and environments would somehow bring greater happiness, contentment, satisfaction, range of experience and etcetera to the human race would we then be compelled to destroy instead of protect and preserve?
We are already doing this, and in my estimation, it isn't working out that well.

[themnax]

well if we don't stop looking at everything else as being there solley for our own enjoyment and at least begin to consider the possibility that it just might be there for its own, we might not be arround that much longer to enjoy our own. i don't think that's actualy going to happen right away. but there's a real good chance of it comming real close to doing so. when we realize our own survival depends on everything else existing for ITs own sake and not just for ours, that is the begining of all thouse prophesies and promisis of fulfilment. pardise returns when we stop destroying it. whatever it takes for that to happen, sometime in the next few generations it very likely will. i don't think we need to throw the comfort zone of so called civilization out with the bath water. we just need to recognize and accept the responsibility to look for and impliment sustainable ways of gratifying it. ways that don't assume the existence of everything else to be for our bennifit rather then its own.