Royd 0 #126 November 14, 2006 We only see it as an imbalance because it disturbs the flow of things as we think they should be. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QuoteThat would be the "we" in the well-fed US. I have a feeling that the "we" who have died in Africa due to famine have a different viewpoint. At first, I was going to be sarcastic but, the fact is that most of the famine in Africa is caused by the supposed top of all species. One group murdering another over some belief or grudge. Here is a continent that is rich in natural resources and fertile land, and yet, all of these years of evolution later, they can't make it work. Nature handles its business, man doesn't, which tells me that there's more involved here than evolutionary process. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #127 November 14, 2006 Quotescience is in fact a field of philosophy. All subjects of study began as philosophy. Only when enough was known for a particular subject to stand on its own did it branch out and evolve into its own field of study. A PhD is a Doctorate of Philosophy.Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,447 #128 November 14, 2006 Drought is a serious contributor to famine in Africa as well. The people don't all live where the food can grow in enough numbers. While infant mortality is high, it's not high enough to keep populations low, and land that's supported nomadic lifestyles in the past is trying to support farmers now, with increased children, and increased survival. Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #129 November 14, 2006 A PhD is a Doctorate of Philosophy. *** Really....I always thought it was the same "B.S." just Piled higher & Deeper! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #130 November 14, 2006 QuoteA PhD is a Doctorate of Philosophy. *** Really....I always thought it was the same "B.S." just Piled higher & Deeper! In between you have the MS (More shit) Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #131 November 14, 2006 M.S. = More of the Same! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Royd 0 #132 November 14, 2006 QuoteDrought is a serious contributor to famine in Africa as well. The people don't all live where the food can grow in enough numbers. While infant mortality is high, it's not high enough to keep populations low, and land that's supported nomadic lifestyles in the past is trying to support farmers now, with increased children, and increased survival. Since we are all products of evolution, why should we care. After all, we are nothing but animals with no soul who should only be interested in the survival of our immediate herd, pack, or flock, unless of course, there is a drive that comes from a force outside of ourselves that demands that we reach out and help those who are weaker than us, those whom we have only heard about through the written and spoken word, something which the rest of the animal kingdom cannot do. Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindsey 0 #133 November 14, 2006 Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? Yes. But what does it say about our beginnings?-- A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #134 November 14, 2006 QuoteQuoteDrought is a serious contributor to famine in Africa as well. The people don't all live where the food can grow in enough numbers. While infant mortality is high, it's not high enough to keep populations low, and land that's supported nomadic lifestyles in the past is trying to support farmers now, with increased children, and increased survival. Since we are all products of evolution, why should we care. After all, we are nothing but animals with no soul who should only be interested in the survival of our immediate herd, pack, or flock, unless of course, there is a drive that comes from a force outside of ourselves that demands that we reach out and help those who are weaker than us, those whom we have only heard about through the written and spoken word, something which the rest of the animal kingdom cannot do. Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? We are not the only species with the capacity to feel compassion. What is so special about humans is that they are our species. We can relate to no other as well. That does not make us special in the grand scheme of things.Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,991 #135 November 14, 2006 >We only see it as an imbalance because it disturbs the flow of things >as we think they should be. Well, more like we see an imbalance because the imbalance is how nature corrects itself. But I agree, those very imbalances are part of the system that will, in the end, regulate itself. When we perturb the system, we see the same sorts of imbalances - imbalances which will, in the end, correct themselves. We just may not like the mechanism by which the biosphere "corrects" for our interference. > I'm sure the dingo has no problem with it. Right. And conversely, if we do end up killing ourselves off in a nuclear exchange, cockroaches would be loving it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SwampThing 0 #136 November 14, 2006 Quoteif we do end up killing ourselves off in a nuclear exchange, cockroaches would be loving it. Quote Only the ones with helmets! The Pessimist says: "It can't possibly get any worse!" The Optimist says: "Sure it can!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Royd 0 #137 November 14, 2006 We are not the only species with the capacity to feel compassion. Quote species. We can relate to no other as well. That does not make us special in the grand scheme of things.Yet, we are the only species that makes an effort to preserve another species. You shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites airtwardo 7 #138 November 14, 2006 You shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Quote It's an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, Man had always assumed that he was the most intelligent species occupying the planet, instead of the *third* most intelligent. The second most intelligent were of course dolphins. Dolphins had long known of the impending destruction of earth and had on many occasions tried to alert mankind but their warnings were mistakenly interpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. ~Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Royd 0 #139 November 14, 2006 Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? QuoteYes. But what does it say about our beginnings? It tells me that we didn't rise to the top echelon by chance, just to keep our bellies full. In other words, to quote the Blues Brothers, "We're on a mission from God." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jcd11235 0 #140 November 14, 2006 QuoteYet, we are the only species that makes an effort to preserve another species. Uhh...no. Symbiosis is widespread in nature. For example, rainforests have multi-species flocks of birds, where inter-species cooperation allows each species to thrive. When was the last time you had a biology class?Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Royd 0 #141 November 14, 2006 QuoteFor example, rainforests have multi-species flocks of birds, where inter-species cooperation allows each species to thrive. Please, you sound like a politician. Give me a real example. QuoteWhen was the last time you had a biology class? I would say 1969. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jcd11235 0 #142 November 14, 2006 >>Please, you sound like a politician. Give me a real example. I see where this is going. [montypython]All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us? [/montypython] QuoteI would say 1969. Might I suggest your local community college for a refresher course?Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Amazon 7 #143 November 14, 2006 QuoteYou shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Seems we are not doing such a good job in our stewardship.... Since man showed up there have literally been thousands of species that have gone extinct due to mans greed and callousness towards other species. I think GOD may be a little pissed at that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Royd 0 #144 November 14, 2006 shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QuoteSeems we are not doing such a good job in our stewardship.... Since man showed up there have literally been thousands of species that have gone extinct due to mans greed and callousness towards other species. I think GOD may be a little pissed at that. Agreed, but it does take us out of the"just another animal along for the ride" category. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites kallend 2,027 #145 November 14, 2006 QuoteIs it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? QuoteYes. But what does it say about our beginnings? It tells me that we didn't rise to the top echelon by chance, just to keep our bellies full. In other words, to quote the Blues Brothers, "We're on a mission from God." "Top echelon" as defined by what species? Some just look at us as food.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites airtwardo 7 #146 November 14, 2006 "Top echelon" as defined by what species? Some just look at us as food. *** And some of "US" just look at us as food! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites billvon 2,991 #147 November 14, 2006 >Give me a real example. Ants raise aphids as cattle and "milk" them. They protect the aphids; aphids give them milk. (Not quite milk but something similar.) Leafcutter ants have fungus farms, and cultivate them carefully. Putty-nosed and Diana monkeys cooperate to protect themselves from predators. Apes, when they find a human child, will usually protect it until it is returned to another human. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Since we are all products of evolution, why should we care. BECAUSE we are products of evolution, and evolved in a world of other animals who must cooperate _and_ compete to survive, we are predisposed to feel compassion, pity, a desire for cooperation and fairness. Also due to evolution, we often feel greed, lust, envy and hate. Our intelligence lets us decide which drives to follow. >After all, we are nothing but animals with no soul who should only be >interested in the survival of our immediate herd, pack, or flock . . . And often, we see just that. We see blind nationalism drive people to hate outsiders, or other religions, or certain countries. We see people who have no problem stealing from others to enrich themselves and their friends/families. Fortunately most of us can see that those are not the impulses we should follow. >unless of course, there is a drive that comes from a force outside of >ourselves that demands that we reach out and help those who are >weaker than us . . . The only force that can make us do that is a force from within. We can all recognize it when we feel it - but no one else can _make_ you feel it. >Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? Of course there is. We have an advanced enough brain that we can (sometimes) decide to favor our 'better' impulses over our 'baser' impulses. Not always, but often. That sets us apart. It is also a challenge. One need look no farther than the Middle East to see that we do not always live up to those better impulses. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Gravitymaster 0 #148 November 14, 2006 QuoteApes, when they find a human child, will usually protect it until it is returned to another human. Monday, January 5, 2004 Chimps Preying on Human Babies in Uganda By PAUL REDFERN THE EASTAFRICAN WESTERN CONSERVATIONISTS appear divided over the reason for the increased level of violent and sometimes fatal attacks by chimpanzees on young children in western Uganda and around the Gombe National Park in Tanzania. There have been 15 recent attacks by chimps on young children in Kibali and Budongo in western Uganda and a fatal attack and a number of other less serious attacks have been recorded around Gombe. But Western experts, though in agreement that human encroachment on the chimps habitat is the basic reason, are nevertheless divided on whether it is a desperate response, from a species in danger of extinction, or a more calculated attack from a highly intelligent animal. Dr Michael Gavin, a conservation biologist has documented the recent attacks in an eight-month study which was published this month in the BBC Wildlife magazine in the UK. He says that the technique used by the chimps to kill or maim the children mirrors the way they tear apart other prey, suggesting they deliberately snatched the youngest and most vulnerable human victims, if possible babies. Although the attacks have been horrific with many surviving youngsters losing limbs, Dr Gavin says the chimps are merely trying to survive in the face of human expansion. "They are just trying to get by. If they can’t get enough food in the forest they are going to wander out in search of what is available." But Frans de Waal, a professor of primate behaviour at a US-based university, said that increased contact with human beings has allowed chimps to lose their inhibitions about preying on them. "I am not sure these cases have much to do with territoriality," he said. "I think they rather have to do with predation. Chimps hunt and eat monkeys. It is especially the males that hunt. They may look at a human infant as easy prey. "I don’t think chimps mistake a human baby for a monkey. They’re far too smart for such a mistake. They just try to take whatever they can lay their hands on." Others, however, disagree. Doug Cress of the Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance says that the attacks are simply the symptom of a territorial fear and he points out that Uganda and Tanzania were "not seeing armies of chimpanzees ransacking villages and kidnapping children." It is now estimated that fewer than 5,000 chimps survive in Uganda and these are concentrated in the west where remaining forests are often small and isolated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skysaintj 0 #149 November 14, 2006 Interesting view @ : http://www.vanderbilt.edu/~postjf/mcich4int.htm Debating whether there is Creator or not or anything closely related is most of the time some of the longest threads around here That question will be asked until we find out or like dust blow away with no purpose to our existence It's the question of questions - and there has been two sides right through .....be it a spiritual experience validating one's own connection to the divine or a ongoing scientific theories and investigations trying to find that complete and outright answer , almost like evidence to make up your mind for you - You will find out that all you get left with for now is a CHOICE and you've made it years ago " ..We have been tracing the traditional theist's answer to the question of why anything at all exists. The sum-total of contingently existing things exists ultimately because of God's free creative activity, and God exists by a necessity of God's own nature. Asking why God exists is like asking why a plenum is full: asking just shows that you don't understand the concept, either of a plenum or of God. Furthermore, theists will claim that there is a bonus in their answer to the question of why anything at all exists. It also answers the question in its other sense or senses, when it is about the meaning of life and the purpose or purposes for which we exist. The meaning and the purpose are contained in God's reasons for creating a universe and the beings in it, reasons that are the subject of divine revelation. "If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites crwtom 0 #150 November 14, 2006 Quote Here is a continent that is rich in natural resources and fertile land, and yet, all of these years of evolution later, they can't make it work. Nature handles its business, man doesn't, which tells me that there's more involved here than evolutionary process. read Jared Diamond on this. (Guns, Germs & Steel or more recent articles) He connects it to geographical axis, that are going East West in the more succesful Eurasia, and North South in the less successful Africa. Really interesting stuff! Cheers, T ******************************************************************* Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next Page 6 of 21 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0 Go To Topic Listing
Royd 0 #137 November 14, 2006 We are not the only species with the capacity to feel compassion. Quote species. We can relate to no other as well. That does not make us special in the grand scheme of things.Yet, we are the only species that makes an effort to preserve another species. You shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #138 November 14, 2006 You shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Quote It's an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem. For instance, on the planet Earth, Man had always assumed that he was the most intelligent species occupying the planet, instead of the *third* most intelligent. The second most intelligent were of course dolphins. Dolphins had long known of the impending destruction of earth and had on many occasions tried to alert mankind but their warnings were mistakenly interpreted as amusing attempts to punch footballs or whistle for tidbits. ~Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Royd 0 #139 November 14, 2006 Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? QuoteYes. But what does it say about our beginnings? It tells me that we didn't rise to the top echelon by chance, just to keep our bellies full. In other words, to quote the Blues Brothers, "We're on a mission from God." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jcd11235 0 #140 November 14, 2006 QuoteYet, we are the only species that makes an effort to preserve another species. Uhh...no. Symbiosis is widespread in nature. For example, rainforests have multi-species flocks of birds, where inter-species cooperation allows each species to thrive. When was the last time you had a biology class?Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Royd 0 #141 November 14, 2006 QuoteFor example, rainforests have multi-species flocks of birds, where inter-species cooperation allows each species to thrive. Please, you sound like a politician. Give me a real example. QuoteWhen was the last time you had a biology class? I would say 1969. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites jcd11235 0 #142 November 14, 2006 >>Please, you sound like a politician. Give me a real example. I see where this is going. [montypython]All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us? [/montypython] QuoteI would say 1969. Might I suggest your local community college for a refresher course?Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Amazon 7 #143 November 14, 2006 QuoteYou shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Seems we are not doing such a good job in our stewardship.... Since man showed up there have literally been thousands of species that have gone extinct due to mans greed and callousness towards other species. I think GOD may be a little pissed at that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Royd 0 #144 November 14, 2006 shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QuoteSeems we are not doing such a good job in our stewardship.... Since man showed up there have literally been thousands of species that have gone extinct due to mans greed and callousness towards other species. I think GOD may be a little pissed at that. Agreed, but it does take us out of the"just another animal along for the ride" category. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites kallend 2,027 #145 November 14, 2006 QuoteIs it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? QuoteYes. But what does it say about our beginnings? It tells me that we didn't rise to the top echelon by chance, just to keep our bellies full. In other words, to quote the Blues Brothers, "We're on a mission from God." "Top echelon" as defined by what species? Some just look at us as food.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites airtwardo 7 #146 November 14, 2006 "Top echelon" as defined by what species? Some just look at us as food. *** And some of "US" just look at us as food! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites billvon 2,991 #147 November 14, 2006 >Give me a real example. Ants raise aphids as cattle and "milk" them. They protect the aphids; aphids give them milk. (Not quite milk but something similar.) Leafcutter ants have fungus farms, and cultivate them carefully. Putty-nosed and Diana monkeys cooperate to protect themselves from predators. Apes, when they find a human child, will usually protect it until it is returned to another human. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Since we are all products of evolution, why should we care. BECAUSE we are products of evolution, and evolved in a world of other animals who must cooperate _and_ compete to survive, we are predisposed to feel compassion, pity, a desire for cooperation and fairness. Also due to evolution, we often feel greed, lust, envy and hate. Our intelligence lets us decide which drives to follow. >After all, we are nothing but animals with no soul who should only be >interested in the survival of our immediate herd, pack, or flock . . . And often, we see just that. We see blind nationalism drive people to hate outsiders, or other religions, or certain countries. We see people who have no problem stealing from others to enrich themselves and their friends/families. Fortunately most of us can see that those are not the impulses we should follow. >unless of course, there is a drive that comes from a force outside of >ourselves that demands that we reach out and help those who are >weaker than us . . . The only force that can make us do that is a force from within. We can all recognize it when we feel it - but no one else can _make_ you feel it. >Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? Of course there is. We have an advanced enough brain that we can (sometimes) decide to favor our 'better' impulses over our 'baser' impulses. Not always, but often. That sets us apart. It is also a challenge. One need look no farther than the Middle East to see that we do not always live up to those better impulses. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Gravitymaster 0 #148 November 14, 2006 QuoteApes, when they find a human child, will usually protect it until it is returned to another human. Monday, January 5, 2004 Chimps Preying on Human Babies in Uganda By PAUL REDFERN THE EASTAFRICAN WESTERN CONSERVATIONISTS appear divided over the reason for the increased level of violent and sometimes fatal attacks by chimpanzees on young children in western Uganda and around the Gombe National Park in Tanzania. There have been 15 recent attacks by chimps on young children in Kibali and Budongo in western Uganda and a fatal attack and a number of other less serious attacks have been recorded around Gombe. But Western experts, though in agreement that human encroachment on the chimps habitat is the basic reason, are nevertheless divided on whether it is a desperate response, from a species in danger of extinction, or a more calculated attack from a highly intelligent animal. Dr Michael Gavin, a conservation biologist has documented the recent attacks in an eight-month study which was published this month in the BBC Wildlife magazine in the UK. He says that the technique used by the chimps to kill or maim the children mirrors the way they tear apart other prey, suggesting they deliberately snatched the youngest and most vulnerable human victims, if possible babies. Although the attacks have been horrific with many surviving youngsters losing limbs, Dr Gavin says the chimps are merely trying to survive in the face of human expansion. "They are just trying to get by. If they can’t get enough food in the forest they are going to wander out in search of what is available." But Frans de Waal, a professor of primate behaviour at a US-based university, said that increased contact with human beings has allowed chimps to lose their inhibitions about preying on them. "I am not sure these cases have much to do with territoriality," he said. "I think they rather have to do with predation. Chimps hunt and eat monkeys. It is especially the males that hunt. They may look at a human infant as easy prey. "I don’t think chimps mistake a human baby for a monkey. They’re far too smart for such a mistake. They just try to take whatever they can lay their hands on." Others, however, disagree. Doug Cress of the Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance says that the attacks are simply the symptom of a territorial fear and he points out that Uganda and Tanzania were "not seeing armies of chimpanzees ransacking villages and kidnapping children." It is now estimated that fewer than 5,000 chimps survive in Uganda and these are concentrated in the west where remaining forests are often small and isolated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites skysaintj 0 #149 November 14, 2006 Interesting view @ : http://www.vanderbilt.edu/~postjf/mcich4int.htm Debating whether there is Creator or not or anything closely related is most of the time some of the longest threads around here That question will be asked until we find out or like dust blow away with no purpose to our existence It's the question of questions - and there has been two sides right through .....be it a spiritual experience validating one's own connection to the divine or a ongoing scientific theories and investigations trying to find that complete and outright answer , almost like evidence to make up your mind for you - You will find out that all you get left with for now is a CHOICE and you've made it years ago " ..We have been tracing the traditional theist's answer to the question of why anything at all exists. The sum-total of contingently existing things exists ultimately because of God's free creative activity, and God exists by a necessity of God's own nature. Asking why God exists is like asking why a plenum is full: asking just shows that you don't understand the concept, either of a plenum or of God. Furthermore, theists will claim that there is a bonus in their answer to the question of why anything at all exists. It also answers the question in its other sense or senses, when it is about the meaning of life and the purpose or purposes for which we exist. The meaning and the purpose are contained in God's reasons for creating a universe and the beings in it, reasons that are the subject of divine revelation. "If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites crwtom 0 #150 November 14, 2006 Quote Here is a continent that is rich in natural resources and fertile land, and yet, all of these years of evolution later, they can't make it work. Nature handles its business, man doesn't, which tells me that there's more involved here than evolutionary process. read Jared Diamond on this. (Guns, Germs & Steel or more recent articles) He connects it to geographical axis, that are going East West in the more succesful Eurasia, and North South in the less successful Africa. Really interesting stuff! Cheers, T ******************************************************************* Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next Page 6 of 21 Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
Royd 0 #139 November 14, 2006 Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? QuoteYes. But what does it say about our beginnings? It tells me that we didn't rise to the top echelon by chance, just to keep our bellies full. In other words, to quote the Blues Brothers, "We're on a mission from God." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #140 November 14, 2006 QuoteYet, we are the only species that makes an effort to preserve another species. Uhh...no. Symbiosis is widespread in nature. For example, rainforests have multi-species flocks of birds, where inter-species cooperation allows each species to thrive. When was the last time you had a biology class?Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Royd 0 #141 November 14, 2006 QuoteFor example, rainforests have multi-species flocks of birds, where inter-species cooperation allows each species to thrive. Please, you sound like a politician. Give me a real example. QuoteWhen was the last time you had a biology class? I would say 1969. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #142 November 14, 2006 >>Please, you sound like a politician. Give me a real example. I see where this is going. [montypython]All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us? [/montypython] QuoteI would say 1969. Might I suggest your local community college for a refresher course?Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #143 November 14, 2006 QuoteYou shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. Seems we are not doing such a good job in our stewardship.... Since man showed up there have literally been thousands of species that have gone extinct due to mans greed and callousness towards other species. I think GOD may be a little pissed at that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Royd 0 #144 November 14, 2006 shall have dominion over the fish of the sea, the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- QuoteSeems we are not doing such a good job in our stewardship.... Since man showed up there have literally been thousands of species that have gone extinct due to mans greed and callousness towards other species. I think GOD may be a little pissed at that. Agreed, but it does take us out of the"just another animal along for the ride" category. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,027 #145 November 14, 2006 QuoteIs it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? QuoteYes. But what does it say about our beginnings? It tells me that we didn't rise to the top echelon by chance, just to keep our bellies full. In other words, to quote the Blues Brothers, "We're on a mission from God." "Top echelon" as defined by what species? Some just look at us as food.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #146 November 14, 2006 "Top echelon" as defined by what species? Some just look at us as food. *** And some of "US" just look at us as food! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,991 #147 November 14, 2006 >Give me a real example. Ants raise aphids as cattle and "milk" them. They protect the aphids; aphids give them milk. (Not quite milk but something similar.) Leafcutter ants have fungus farms, and cultivate them carefully. Putty-nosed and Diana monkeys cooperate to protect themselves from predators. Apes, when they find a human child, will usually protect it until it is returned to another human. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Since we are all products of evolution, why should we care. BECAUSE we are products of evolution, and evolved in a world of other animals who must cooperate _and_ compete to survive, we are predisposed to feel compassion, pity, a desire for cooperation and fairness. Also due to evolution, we often feel greed, lust, envy and hate. Our intelligence lets us decide which drives to follow. >After all, we are nothing but animals with no soul who should only be >interested in the survival of our immediate herd, pack, or flock . . . And often, we see just that. We see blind nationalism drive people to hate outsiders, or other religions, or certain countries. We see people who have no problem stealing from others to enrich themselves and their friends/families. Fortunately most of us can see that those are not the impulses we should follow. >unless of course, there is a drive that comes from a force outside of >ourselves that demands that we reach out and help those who are >weaker than us . . . The only force that can make us do that is a force from within. We can all recognize it when we feel it - but no one else can _make_ you feel it. >Is it possible that there really is something special about us as a species? Of course there is. We have an advanced enough brain that we can (sometimes) decide to favor our 'better' impulses over our 'baser' impulses. Not always, but often. That sets us apart. It is also a challenge. One need look no farther than the Middle East to see that we do not always live up to those better impulses. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gravitymaster 0 #148 November 14, 2006 QuoteApes, when they find a human child, will usually protect it until it is returned to another human. Monday, January 5, 2004 Chimps Preying on Human Babies in Uganda By PAUL REDFERN THE EASTAFRICAN WESTERN CONSERVATIONISTS appear divided over the reason for the increased level of violent and sometimes fatal attacks by chimpanzees on young children in western Uganda and around the Gombe National Park in Tanzania. There have been 15 recent attacks by chimps on young children in Kibali and Budongo in western Uganda and a fatal attack and a number of other less serious attacks have been recorded around Gombe. But Western experts, though in agreement that human encroachment on the chimps habitat is the basic reason, are nevertheless divided on whether it is a desperate response, from a species in danger of extinction, or a more calculated attack from a highly intelligent animal. Dr Michael Gavin, a conservation biologist has documented the recent attacks in an eight-month study which was published this month in the BBC Wildlife magazine in the UK. He says that the technique used by the chimps to kill or maim the children mirrors the way they tear apart other prey, suggesting they deliberately snatched the youngest and most vulnerable human victims, if possible babies. Although the attacks have been horrific with many surviving youngsters losing limbs, Dr Gavin says the chimps are merely trying to survive in the face of human expansion. "They are just trying to get by. If they can’t get enough food in the forest they are going to wander out in search of what is available." But Frans de Waal, a professor of primate behaviour at a US-based university, said that increased contact with human beings has allowed chimps to lose their inhibitions about preying on them. "I am not sure these cases have much to do with territoriality," he said. "I think they rather have to do with predation. Chimps hunt and eat monkeys. It is especially the males that hunt. They may look at a human infant as easy prey. "I don’t think chimps mistake a human baby for a monkey. They’re far too smart for such a mistake. They just try to take whatever they can lay their hands on." Others, however, disagree. Doug Cress of the Pan African Sanctuaries Alliance says that the attacks are simply the symptom of a territorial fear and he points out that Uganda and Tanzania were "not seeing armies of chimpanzees ransacking villages and kidnapping children." It is now estimated that fewer than 5,000 chimps survive in Uganda and these are concentrated in the west where remaining forests are often small and isolated. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skysaintj 0 #149 November 14, 2006 Interesting view @ : http://www.vanderbilt.edu/~postjf/mcich4int.htm Debating whether there is Creator or not or anything closely related is most of the time some of the longest threads around here That question will be asked until we find out or like dust blow away with no purpose to our existence It's the question of questions - and there has been two sides right through .....be it a spiritual experience validating one's own connection to the divine or a ongoing scientific theories and investigations trying to find that complete and outright answer , almost like evidence to make up your mind for you - You will find out that all you get left with for now is a CHOICE and you've made it years ago " ..We have been tracing the traditional theist's answer to the question of why anything at all exists. The sum-total of contingently existing things exists ultimately because of God's free creative activity, and God exists by a necessity of God's own nature. Asking why God exists is like asking why a plenum is full: asking just shows that you don't understand the concept, either of a plenum or of God. Furthermore, theists will claim that there is a bonus in their answer to the question of why anything at all exists. It also answers the question in its other sense or senses, when it is about the meaning of life and the purpose or purposes for which we exist. The meaning and the purpose are contained in God's reasons for creating a universe and the beings in it, reasons that are the subject of divine revelation. "If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crwtom 0 #150 November 14, 2006 Quote Here is a continent that is rich in natural resources and fertile land, and yet, all of these years of evolution later, they can't make it work. Nature handles its business, man doesn't, which tells me that there's more involved here than evolutionary process. read Jared Diamond on this. (Guns, Germs & Steel or more recent articles) He connects it to geographical axis, that are going East West in the more succesful Eurasia, and North South in the less successful Africa. Really interesting stuff! Cheers, T ******************************************************************* Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
