4 ms·

The Earth will be just fine without humans.

thicknavyrain 3y ago
I find this kind of sentiment a little vacuous. Charitably, we might say "Much of the non-human life on Earth will be just fine without humans" but the kinds of ecological disaster that would wipe us would would take a significant chunk of other life along with it. Beyond that, what value is a floating chunk of rock except for the very fact it sustains conscious life, the only thing capable of valuing it? Humans, and other forms of life, are pretty much entirely what makes Earth worth caring about at all.
- morph123 3y ago
  Value is a human concept.
  - medstrom 3y ago
    That's... their point. If you think it counters their point, can you unpack how?
  - throwaway290 3y ago
    "Earth", "human" and "value" are human concepts. Don't even get me started on "concept"
FredPret 3y ago
Human intelligence is the best thing ever produced on Earth
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
- hardlianotion 3y ago
  Says a human.
  - medstrom 3y ago
    But you are human. Even when you try to care for what non-humans value, you're still doing that because of your human values. You literally can't step outside yourself. It's fair to say that FredPret is evaluating "best" at the same level of zoom as you are.
    - hardlianotion 3y ago
      I don't understand your argument or - to the extent to which I do understand it - I think it does not really apply to my comment.
- throwaway290 3y ago
  Human intelligence is part of Earth because humans are part of Earth. Ergo?
altairTF 3y ago
Humans will also be fine without a lot of things we have today
arrowsmith 3y ago
But humans can still do a lot of damage on our way out. For example, the coral reefs won't be fine after humans go extinct - because there won't be any coral reefs left.
- tastyfreeze 3y ago
  I am quite dubious of this claim. Our current coral reefs didn't exist during the Younger-Dryas. They were dry land. Bleached coral isn't dead. It has just expelled it's algae due to stress. Coral are also broadcast spawners. Polyps ride ocean currents until they find a place to build their home, the actual reef structure. Coral reefs may move around but they aren't going to just go extinct.
throwaway290 3y ago
The point is no one is hurting Earth, it is hurting itself because humans are part of Earth. Unless you believe humans are aliens, you have to make peace with that fact

I find this kind of sentiment a little vacuous. Charitably, we might say "Much of the non-human life on Earth will be just fine without humans" but the kinds of ecological disaster that would wipe us would would take a significant chunk of other life along with it. Beyond that, what value is a floating chunk of rock except for the very fact it sustains conscious life, the only thing capable of valuing it? Humans, and other forms of life, are pretty much entirely what makes Earth worth caring about at all.

morph123 3y ago
Value is a human concept.
- medstrom 3y ago
  That's... their point. If you think it counters their point, can you unpack how?
- throwaway290 3y ago
  "Earth", "human" and "value" are human concepts. Don't even get me started on "concept"

FredPret 3y ago

Human intelligence is the best thing ever produced on Earth

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
hardlianotion 3y ago
Says a human.
- medstrom 3y ago
  But you are human. Even when you try to care for what non-humans value, you're still doing that because of your human values. You literally can't step outside yourself. It's fair to say that FredPret is evaluating "best" at the same level of zoom as you are.
  - hardlianotion 3y ago
    I don't understand your argument or - to the extent to which I do understand it - I think it does not really apply to my comment.
throwaway290 3y ago
Human intelligence is part of Earth because humans are part of Earth. Ergo?

altairTF 3y ago

Humans will also be fine without a lot of things we have today

arrowsmith 3y ago

But humans can still do a lot of damage on our way out. For example, the coral reefs won't be fine after humans go extinct - because there won't be any coral reefs left.

tastyfreeze 3y ago
I am quite dubious of this claim. Our current coral reefs didn't exist during the Younger-Dryas. They were dry land. Bleached coral isn't dead. It has just expelled it's algae due to stress. Coral are also broadcast spawners. Polyps ride ocean currents until they find a place to build their home, the actual reef structure. Coral reefs may move around but they aren't going to just go extinct.

throwaway290 3y ago

The point is no one is hurting Earth, it is hurting itself because humans are part of Earth. Unless you believe humans are aliens, you have to make peace with that fact