| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 8/31/2007 8:37:06 AM | hello tomcat77,
But aren't most logical theories rooted in our emotions? I mean, if you're going to try to logically prove something its because your emotions give you the initiative to do it
I think for us to care enough about something that we would make a theory there must be some form of emotional attachment. However its interesting that some emotional attachments over ride our need for our long term survival.
Its like making a hot cup of cocoa as the radioactive snow chills our bones. brrrrr
Perhaps people are resigned to the idea that this will all end so there for we should at least enjoy whats left? who knows, yet when the threat is imminent and certain people act no questions asked. Its strange how there is no emotional response to danger that may come as a result of our own doing if what we are doing is keeping our emotional wellbeing intact in the short run. To me it seems that most people are much like children who haven't been able to override the need for instant gratification. So we are only dealing with the surface emotional responses to everything instead of the deep emotions that are suppressed and even repressed over decades that would surely address the need for long term survival.
Just my thoughts,
crazylilting | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 8/31/2007 7:35:45 PM |
So we are only dealing with the surface emotional responses to everything instead of the deep emotions that are suppressed and even repressed over decades that would surely address the need for long term survival.
I agree that the typical response to problems are childlike. But that seems to be a part of human nature. We are products of our evolution, and it has been best in the past to look to short term survival and comfort over long term.
Perhaps we are changing too fast. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 8/31/2007 9:49:40 PM | | cows and cars, but not necessarily in that order...(yea, I am guilty as charged) | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/2/2007 8:06:58 AM | | I'd vote for human "fear," as well. More in depth, I believe the greatest threat to mankind is everyone's own unwillingness to view ones "self" objectively. This would contain "fear," among other areas. | |
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roxw
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Joined: 8/28/2007
Msg: 57 | |
| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/4/2007 9:44:22 PM | | I believe that hate and greed in the minds of humanity is the greatest threat. We all need to choose love and one day I know we all will. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/4/2007 11:26:45 PM | I would say...
1. over population (mankind itself?)
2. technology (pros and cons)
3. a zombie outbreak
4. an alien invasion
5. a demonic invasion
6. the sun burns out
7. a gigantic meteor collides with the earth
8. disease & plague
9. dopplegangers
10. me (assuming I somehow became ruler of the world) :) | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/5/2007 10:58:02 AM | | Nature is the number threat to Mankind, Always has been, and always will be. Nature from the Heavens to the Core will always be what rocks Mankind’s World. To imagine Mankind could affect Nature before Nature wiped itself clean of Man is just a conceited view of ourselve's. Sure I hear all the talk about global warming, it’s mostly partisan politics, but one thing I have found is, the more intense the person believes were the cause, the less the grasp of the history of what Nature has done in recent past they have. That's just in my experience. A little knowledge of the Toba eruption, the many others since, and the ice ages they have caused can go along ways at forming a more intelligent opinion on global warming. That doesn’t even take into account one nice meteor or comet can ruin your whole global warming theory in seconds. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/5/2007 11:26:30 AM | I don't think it is the pessimists that have some extraordinary view in planning for the future. Rather, it is the optimists. These are people who can be realistic about the situation around them, but yet see that it can be better. Thus, they are able to imagine and plan for change. Perhaps you are right in saying the pessimists may warn us, but it it the optimists who have the courage and the vision to do something about it.
Back to the question at hand.
In my own personal opinion, it is not simply illogicality that is our undoing, nor do I personally believe reason is the answer. If it was, we would lose our true humanity, that is love, and compassion for others, etc. If reason guided us, we may as well do away with all the people that strain our economy, such as the disabled or those in poverty. Our society would never benefit from great minds such as Hellen Keller. Also, reason as well as justification, can be used to guide any opinion. I can use reason to make a claim that we are all humans are innately evil, for example. There is plenty of evidence in the world to back up this cliam. Or, I can use reason to tell me that humans are innately good, loving beings...simply misguided. This is something philosophers have debated over for centuries, using logic and reason. No one will have have a "right" answer. Our greatest strengths as human beings, in my opinion, is love and compassion for out fellow human beings. If we all thought of ourselves as humans we would all develop that sense of connection that would motivate us to help those less fortunate. There has in fact been studies to support this. Psychologists have asked groups if the German's should be forgiven where "German's behaved aggressively to Jewish people". Here most of the individuals surveyd said no. The same thing was asked to another group of people posed in the form "where humans behaved aggressively to other humans". Here most of the individuals surveyed agreed the Germans should be forgiven.
Currently, i think the greatest threat to our survival as humans is overpopulation. From overpopulation spawns competition and environmental destruction. Smaller foraging societies have survived quite well in the equilibrium their environment can support. It is when society grows to state-level where increased populations can be supported that we are at the greatest threat. Take the Mayan civilization, for example. One of the greatest contributors for their downfall was that the populations needed more food, so more trees were cut in order to grow that food. Eventually they had exhausted their environment, droughts occurred, and people starved.
Overpopulation leads to competition for limited resources. Wars over oil, land, and water. The war right now in Iraq and the genocide in Darfur are good examples of this.
On the other hand, I think it is very naive of us to think our species even needs a threat. Change is the ultimate "threat", and change is the natural way of the world. It is the natural order of the planet that new species arrive, evolve, change, or die off. What doesn't adapt goes extinct. We have, in a way, taken ourselves out of that by adapting our environment to ourselves rather than adapting ourselves to our environment. This is still in a way adaption. We have changed our natural evolution by curing diseases, letting less "fit" humans survive, etc. Not that i think that is a bad thing, just that it does not follow all other species on the earth. Also, our species has only been around between 150-250 thousand years. In the time-scale of the planet, that is nothing. If we even hope to be around even half as long as the dinosaurs, we will have to adapt to a warming planet, and learn to get along without blowing ourselves up.
Thanks for creating this great thread! It is very thought-provoking and i like what everyone said. Sorry I wrote too much heehee. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/5/2007 11:36:59 AM |
Positive people ignore what lays ahead of them, bleeding hearts, good and sincere people and all great traits to have but they dont have the ability to forsee what needs to be done.
Its not that positive people do not have the ability plan and see what is happening in the world around them. Positive people don't go around pretending there are not any problems in the world. You are confusing positive/optimistic with ignorance. Positivity should not be mistaken for people who turn a blind eye.
It is the "bleeding hearts" as you say that have compassion to make the changes in the world. If you didn't care about the wars, people starving, genocide, and other problems of the world, why would you be motivated to do anything about it? It is the positive people who think changes CAN occur, that people CAN change, and are willing to do something about it. Pessimists, on the other hand, by definition, have a negative outlook. "Nothing can be done, I am just one person, we are all going to die someday anyways, so what does it matter?". Tell that to Gandhi. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/5/2007 2:43:22 PM | Money and power. Two greatest threats to mankind that have ever lifted its ugly head.
Everyone wants the money...and many don't care how it flows to them, as long as it does!
Power....a lot of people want to be able to tell others what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. Directing people around in their own little lives.
What people mostly seem to want though is "respect". They want to be treated with respect. Usually, that is given, until the person proves themselves unworthy of that respect, or, if they demand it. But forcing someone to "respect" you with intimidation or violence doesn't garner respect at all. Which brings us back to power... | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/9/2007 8:53:31 AM | The biggest threat to mankind is fear nihilism and rationality yes I said rationality because it ignores the one biggest thing that has driven mankind out of the jungles of africa and to the edge of space its called the need to explore to get rid of threats which comes from fear. Rationality takes all the passion out of life. rationality tied to emotion creates mankinds greatest achievments from the Nuclear bomb to exploring the world to the apollo moon landing.
In a world run by emotion nothing would get done and the world would be fascist.
in a world run by rationality we would rationalize our species to death in the lack of action. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/9/2007 12:28:16 PM | Hello MidnightDawn,
I just wanted to let you know i enjoyed your post and thoughts on this thread. especially the bit on bleeding hearts.
thanks for sharing
crazylilting | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/9/2007 5:04:52 PM |
Currently, i think the greatest threat to our survival as humans is overpopulation.
I would agree. Control the population and there are resources (wealth) for everyone. Then a lot of the reasons for fighting wars disappears and the technology doesn't destroy the environment because you don't need all those resources for the limited number of people.
Of course, getting a stabilized population, much less a reduction, is another issue. Fortunately, there is one way: increase the standard of living. Studies as long ago as 70 years ago showed that, as wealth increases, family size decreases. And that was before modern birth control. 
It is the "bleeding hearts" as you say that have compassion to make the changes in the world. If you didn't care about the wars, people starving, genocide, and other problems of the world, why would you be motivated to do anything about it? It is the positive people who think changes CAN occur, that people CAN change, and are willing to do something about it. Pessimists, on the other hand, by definition, have a negative outlook.
Another good point. Altho pessimists may not have a "negative" outlook, but a realistic one. And then still act to avoid the negative consequences they see coming. Optimists may not recognize the problem until too late. What's the old saying? "Optimists have more fun but pessimists are right more often."
So what may be needed are people who 1) are pessimistic enough to look for problems before they occur and 2) optimistic that they can change the situation and head off the problem.  | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/10/2007 4:50:23 PM | how about you losers that think you know everything take action on issues rather then discussing them online to make yourself seem smart,
were not impressed by your philosophy on online forums | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/10/2007 6:27:20 PM | | The greatest threat to humankind is terrorism----nuclear terrorism, bio/chemical terrorism, cyberterrorism, ecoterrorism, and narcoterrorism. These terrorist acts of violence have been---and will continue to be carried out by rogue states or radical terrorist groups, such as Islamic extremists. The terrorist act of 9/11, which wreaked havoc around the world, is only only the beginning. History always repeats itself. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/11/2007 7:06:04 AM | | A very large asteroid plummeting toward earth, the sun progressively inching closer to our atmosphere, the core of the planet heating up and causing an implosion..? There are a few ideas. I do not think mankind can do itself in unless we end up all on the same page with a penchant for self loathing. Peace~ | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/11/2007 5:18:56 PM | i was gonna say the greatest threat to humankind is an overwhelming supply of troglodytes.
but the more i think about it, i'd have to go with my old swamp mucking, hill hiking shoes. i just pulled them out of the closet and you wouldn't believe the sheer terror...
=P | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/12/2007 3:08:36 AM | | OPEC. In the restless pursuit of profit these countries and various corporations like Shell,BP,Exon,airlines,car manufactureres etc. have not done anything to turn off the oil pumps or stop producing cars. If you have a deluge you don't need to keep the sprinkler on. If it wasnt for supply and demand we wouldn't have accellarated Global Warming. But, it's hard to change or to break old habits. Ask any smoker. The lowest common denominator is the individual consumer. But, in our complex societies. It is impossible to get by without relying on oil and vehicles that rely on oil for what seems like simple living. If everyone who drives or takes a bus to work,shopping,travel stopped. It would have the greatest effect on slowing down Global warming or The Greenhouse effect. But, if people want to pay for their home,utilities,food etc. They can't just stop. If traveling by car and airplane isn't significantly restricted to help the problem. It's not going to go away. | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/12/2007 12:23:29 PM | Mankind is the greatest threat to mankind.
Sorry... did that sound too redundant? | |
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| Greatest threat to mankind?
Posted: 9/14/2007 7:44:57 PM | Taking action on an issue requires that said action is discussed, thought out, and promoted. this is why we discuss things here.
I am one voice. Here, others hear my opinions. They can agree with it all, some, or not at all. Discussion of the topic can usually lead to some kind of compromise that does not satisfy all people, but gives everyone something. (think diplomacy.) Here, I can gain followers to my ideas and thought. I now have more voices raised with my own. they, in turn, make the cry in other forums, other sites, other places...the word spreads. A multitude of voices are now being heard. Soon, the media picks up on it...politicians start to listen. Laws are proposed. Change happens...maybe.
From one voice starting here.
This is dangerous. We have to guard against what we allow to be spread. But, balance that with freedom of speech. It isn't easy. | |
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