Who are we?

[Fosus]

I completely agree with you both, Eltu and Fkeu'itan.

[Eltu]

I would like to quote a scene from a certain movie that came to mind:

[Fkeu'itan]

Ahh yes, this scene sticks in my mind too. It further raises a lot of questions.

The way we act and the traits we show does indeed suggest so, at least, the modern world does. When we began and indeed in some places still, we had a close connection with nature. We took what we needed and only that. Enough to maintain the balance. But somewhere along that path, we lost the way and began taking from the Earth things that we did not really need. I do see that what this has turned us into, as always, can be also seen as a good thing, we share cultures, languages and poits of view far more easily which leads to a wider knowledge and a better understanding, but one has to ask...

At what cost?

[Txum_kali'weya]

Originally Posted by Fkeu'itan

I do see that what this has turned us into, as always, can be also seen as a good thing, we share cultures, languages and points of view far more easily which leads to a wider knowledge and a better understanding, but one has to ask...

At what cost?

the loss of each individual culture and language, and their beliefs and customs, to the conglomerate.

[Eltu]

Does scientific knowledge bring happiness? No.

Just compare modern society with, say, any nature tribes today, the native americans, or even the Na'vi - who have larger scientific knowledge? Who would you rather live with?

I do not think that we have "wider knowledge and a better understanding" than say, any nature tribe that still exist on Earth. Let me give an example:
Today there are people who had lived in a nature tribe almost all their lives, who then went out of the tribe, adapted our culture, and now understands our knowledge perfectly. They have very easy to learn what we know.

If WE were to see what THEY know, if would be much, much harder - they have knowledges that reaches beyond our way of thinking.

I think that they understand nature and life FAR better than we do.

[Fkeu'itan]

I agree completely.

They are two different types of knowledge. The knowledge we have seems to be engineered to help us fit into our modernised system rather than preparing us for actual 'life' and giving us experience as such.

But I do have to question are they really, truly happy?
If I were born into a tribe and never had experience of the outer world, living just as they do, would I be as happy as I am now? I may be even happier, but perhaps they take what they have for granted slightly too. I doubt it very much, but it is a question that still crosses my mind often.

[Human No More]

Originally Posted by Eltu

Does scientific knowledge bring happiness? No.

Just compare modern society with, say, any nature tribes today, the native americans, or even the Na'vi - who have larger scientific knowledge? Who would you rather live with?

I do not think that we have "wider knowledge and a better understanding" than say, any nature tribe that still exist on Earth. Let me give an example:
Today there are people who had lived in a nature tribe almost all their lives, who then went out of the tribe, adapted our culture, and now understands our knowledge perfectly. They have very easy to learn what we know.

If WE were to see what THEY know, if would be much, much harder - they have knowledges that reaches beyond our way of thinking.

I think that they understand nature and life FAR better than we do.

Knowledge itself doesn't inherently, but how it is used can.
If we were alone in the universe, I would have probably killed myself out of depression years ago. Knowing things can certainly make things a lot easier, more happy.

I can look at a sunset, at trees, at any of the beauty the world still holds, and just because I understand it's nature doesn't mean I can't appreciate it, can't be happy.

[Clarke]

Originally Posted by Eltu

Does scientific knowledge bring happiness? No.

Personally, I think it's amazing that we can manipulate the fundamental constituents of reality like rats in a maze. We can command these small pieces of everything in such volume and with such precision that we can build machines that can out-perform the human mind in almost all the tasks we can present it. Not only that, these artificial minds can talk to each other so quickly and so densely that even the combined brain power of everyone on Earth could not hope to follow a fraction of their conversations.

And do you know what? The smallest components of these minds, the transistor, is smaller than visible light itself. A CPU is more intricately designed than a Swiss watch, with around the same amount of component parts as a cell. It is a marvel of engineering, and nothing even comparable to it can be reproduced without decades of scientific research.

I think it's amazing that we can produce one of these things, let alone produce them by the million and integrate them into every aspect of our lives. If you don't believe me, work out where the nearest CPU to you is. I doubt it's far away.

Plants? You can't test plants. They just sit there, showing neither pain nor fear. That isn't science. (Cookies to anyone who can tell me who I'm quoting. )

[Fosus]

I have noticed one thing:

The more time I spend inside four walls, looking at this monitor, the more bored I become. Every time I take my dog out, or just take a walk around in the forest, I become happy.

I could imagine those people who live in tribes in the middle of nowhere being much happier than me most of the time.

[Aquaplant]

Originally Posted by Fosus

I have noticed one thing:

The more time I spend inside four walls, looking at this monitor, the more bored I become. Every time I take my dog out, or just take a walk around in the forest, I become happy.

I could imagine those people who live in tribes in the middle of nowhere being much happier than me most of the time.

For me it makes no difference if I stay indoors or go outside, both have their merits, and none is really any better than the other. Infact I think I'd be more miserable living in nature than indoors, because outdoor life is too demanding.

[Eltu]

One can understand nature by other means than scientific knowledge.

[Walas00]

Amazing animation... those walking proteins amazed me. The damn thing walks! And it's all true!
As I said, I just wish I was micro-sized with my own consciousness... I wish I could observe the whole thing closely, understand it... maybe make my own models of living organisms?

The topic is vast - what is our purpose? It's a debate subject, and there will be many answers from each person.

[Thorinair]

Wow, that original post... It is... Beyond words...

[Earthlover18]

Eltu your post really makes me think… a lot. The billions of cells inside us do their specific task 24/7 and don't "think" about what they are doing. They unconsciously carry out millions of actions including synthesizing proteins, creating new enzymes, endlessly replicating DNA, ect. So what makes us different as a whole? If you go beyond the cells and into their atoms, the electrons orbit the nucleus in their respective shells. What does this resemble? It resembles our solar system. With numerous planets orbiting the sun, just as electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom. In essence, this can be used to describe the Milky Way Galaxy as a cell, with billions of stars and solar systems with orbiting planets acting as atoms. After that, the billions and billions of galaxies together in our universe could be extremely similar to us but just on an infinitely larger scale. In terms of our universe, the Earth is like an electron.

But coming back down to Earth, the cells that make up are body are the unsung heroes of life. After watching your video, it really makes me wonder, why are they doing all of that? All their hard work makes me feel that I have a profound purpose in life. I feel that that purpose is protecting our planet as best I can, and trying to help other people learn to appreciate the majesty and divinity of life.

[Eltu]

And that is very, very sad, really.