5 ms·

As humans, we tend to see things through our own lenses. I happen to believe that if everyone played music together once a week, humanity's future would be pre

by diydsp 12y ago

As humans, we tend to see things through our own lenses. I happen to believe that if everyone played music together once a week, humanity's future would be preserved through the effects of mutual cooperation, trust and survival information communicated through music. Clowns probably believe humanity's future is ensured through everyone laughing at squirting flowers and Bill Gates probably believes curing malaria will ensure our future. These are all overly-biased, myopic views which when stretched to the point of determining the fate of the entire human race become equally absurd. They're little more than attention-seeking plays.

danielweber 12y ago
You know, I was with you until the end. That guy preserving music or that guy curing malaria or that guy trying to get humans onto another planet? They may be in some sense wrong, but if they all succeed we will have great music playing among the non-malarial population on Mars in a century. I don't see what's not to like.
kiba 12y ago
These are all overly-biased, myopic views which when stretched to the point of determining the fate of the entire human race become equally absurd. They're little more than attention-seeking plays. No offense, it sounds like "deep" bullshit. You had yet to explain why Musk's views are myopic. And curing malaria ensuring our future? Do you really expect Bill Gates to believe that? It seems far more likely that he see malaria as unnecessary harm and sought to eliminate it.
- keenerd 12y ago
  Gates actually has stated what he feels is needed to ensure our future. Eliminate all CO2 production as soon as possible. To that end he's funding TerraPower's traveling wave reactor research. (Personally I feel this has a 50/50 chance of being a boondoggle, probably because it's an IV company.)
dimillian 12y ago
I don't agree, or I didn't get your comment. I'm a software engineer and I strongly believe that if every humans on earth worked all together with a single goal in mind, space exploration and conquest, instead of spending millions on wars (as an example) we would already been on Mars, or close to it. I kinda feel ashamed when I think about it, I would prefer to work into something which have a bigger impact on the humanity future, and that what I want to do later in my life. Musicians, clowns, video games, movies, are all entertainments, it adds pleasure into doing things but don't contribute in the to the goal of a greater knowledge of the universe. (you could argue that if X wouldn't have listened to Y song he wouldn't have discovered Z, and I would agree).
- weego 12y ago
  I feel like you didn't get his comment. He means that the reality of what is important for the future of the human race is subjective based on the biases of the person making the statement. To draw a parallel, the most important legislature to next get pushed through Government is different for every lobbyist, because having different goals implicitly makes the meaning of important relative.
lnanek2 12y ago
It's pretty inarguable that, if an asteroid or other disaster strikes Earth, a human population on Mars would survive, however. You wouldn't try to run an important web site that had to stay up with one server, it is silly to expect a species to survive with only one planet when certain failure modes include an entire planet.
- ekianjo 12y ago
  Not all asteroids would destroy life on Earth, and there are many ways we can protect ourselves against such events, even without leaving our planet. Having orbit deflectors, for once, is a good solution if we can detect a large object early enough. Plus, I'd wage the Human Race is far more resilient that we think. I'm much more concerned about self-annihilation with nuclear weapons in the short run than any remote asteroid destroying us all.
josefresco 12y ago
To be fair, I don't think Gates has ever used Malaria as an "attention-seeking" play. Colonizing Mars? Sure, that's more about grabbing headlines. But saving lives from Malaria for Gates isn't about generating hype, or boosting stock prices ... it's genuinely about humanity and doing what's right (because they have the means)
neurobro 12y ago
Let's play a bit of semantics and say putting people on Mars helps to insure our future. As in, it provides insurance against some catastrophes that a malaria cure and even squirting flowers can't. Still I agree that we tend to see things through our own lenses. Maybe evolution has something really amazing planned for bonobos, but we're too stubborn to die off.
AznHisoka 12y ago
I only agree with you if your conclusion is that Musk's dreams are NOT myopic.
gomerclaus 12y ago
Spreading cheer and goodwill isn't even in the same ballpark as coping with unbridled growth in a limited environment.
seanflyon 12y ago
> Bill Gates probably believes curing malaria will ensure our future Why do you think that? Bill Gates has certainly never said anything to that effect. > Clowns probably believe humanity's future is ensured through everyone laughing at squirting flowers. This seems less ridiculous than the Malaria one, but I would still be surprised if anyone I knew said something this silly. The myopic views you are projecting onto other people may exist in a few, but I don't think that they are common.

by diydsp 12y ago

danielweber 12y ago

You know, I was with you until the end. That guy preserving music or that guy curing malaria or that guy trying to get humans onto another planet? They may be in some sense wrong, but if they all succeed we will have great music playing among the non-malarial population on Mars in a century. I don't see what's not to like.

kiba 12y ago

These are all overly-biased, myopic views which when stretched to the point of determining the fate of the entire human race become equally absurd. They're little more than attention-seeking plays. No offense, it sounds like "deep" bullshit. You had yet to explain why Musk's views are myopic. And curing malaria ensuring our future? Do you really expect Bill Gates to believe that? It seems far more likely that he see malaria as unnecessary harm and sought to eliminate it.

keenerd 12y ago
Gates actually has stated what he feels is needed to ensure our future. Eliminate all CO2 production as soon as possible. To that end he's funding TerraPower's traveling wave reactor research. (Personally I feel this has a 50/50 chance of being a boondoggle, probably because it's an IV company.)

dimillian 12y ago

I don't agree, or I didn't get your comment. I'm a software engineer and I strongly believe that if every humans on earth worked all together with a single goal in mind, space exploration and conquest, instead of spending millions on wars (as an example) we would already been on Mars, or close to it. I kinda feel ashamed when I think about it, I would prefer to work into something which have a bigger impact on the humanity future, and that what I want to do later in my life. Musicians, clowns, video games, movies, are all entertainments, it adds pleasure into doing things but don't contribute in the to the goal of a greater knowledge of the universe. (you could argue that if X wouldn't have listened to Y song he wouldn't have discovered Z, and I would agree).

weego 12y ago
I feel like you didn't get his comment. He means that the reality of what is important for the future of the human race is subjective based on the biases of the person making the statement. To draw a parallel, the most important legislature to next get pushed through Government is different for every lobbyist, because having different goals implicitly makes the meaning of important relative.

lnanek2 12y ago

It's pretty inarguable that, if an asteroid or other disaster strikes Earth, a human population on Mars would survive, however. You wouldn't try to run an important web site that had to stay up with one server, it is silly to expect a species to survive with only one planet when certain failure modes include an entire planet.

ekianjo 12y ago
Not all asteroids would destroy life on Earth, and there are many ways we can protect ourselves against such events, even without leaving our planet. Having orbit deflectors, for once, is a good solution if we can detect a large object early enough. Plus, I'd wage the Human Race is far more resilient that we think. I'm much more concerned about self-annihilation with nuclear weapons in the short run than any remote asteroid destroying us all.

josefresco 12y ago

To be fair, I don't think Gates has ever used Malaria as an "attention-seeking" play. Colonizing Mars? Sure, that's more about grabbing headlines. But saving lives from Malaria for Gates isn't about generating hype, or boosting stock prices ... it's genuinely about humanity and doing what's right (because they have the means)

neurobro 12y ago

Let's play a bit of semantics and say putting people on Mars helps to insure our future. As in, it provides insurance against some catastrophes that a malaria cure and even squirting flowers can't. Still I agree that we tend to see things through our own lenses. Maybe evolution has something really amazing planned for bonobos, but we're too stubborn to die off.

AznHisoka 12y ago

I only agree with you if your conclusion is that Musk's dreams are NOT myopic.

gomerclaus 12y ago

Spreading cheer and goodwill isn't even in the same ballpark as coping with unbridled growth in a limited environment.

seanflyon 12y ago

> Bill Gates probably believes curing malaria will ensure our future Why do you think that? Bill Gates has certainly never said anything to that effect. > Clowns probably believe humanity's future is ensured through everyone laughing at squirting flowers. This seems less ridiculous than the Malaria one, but I would still be surprised if anyone I knew said something this silly. The myopic views you are projecting onto other people may exist in a few, but I don't think that they are common.