The Problem With Human Beings

[Alan Bragg]

Is it just me, or is the human being's ability to communicate leagues ahead of just about anything else we have to offer? I was thinking about how complex the entire communications system of the human is. In some languages currently spoken on earth, having the ability of perfect pitch is almost imperative, as words voiced on certain notes mean totally different things, and no doubt have different ramifications. Even here on an internet forum, something typed in CAPITOL LETTERS FOR FUCKS SAKE is perceived as an angry, shouty, irrational response, whilst sometimes things are put in capitols in place of ittalics. Then on an internet forum, we can verbally abuse somebody very nastily, then put at the end and assume that that makes the insult more palatable. I don't know if this happens on this forum, but I've seen it as pretty much common practice elsewhere.

 

But it is really when compared with human being's general short-sightedness that the sheer complexity of our communications come into play. When searching for lifeforms elsewhere in space we look for Oxygen rich planets, and we look for radiowaves, because we cannot comprehend life as being in anyway different from that of our own planet. Moreover christians argue that our planet would be uninhabitable if it were only slightly closer or farther away from the sun, a fact that once again shows our limited ability to comprehend.

 

Religion tries to guard people against megolomania, narcicism, greed and hatred, yet these are all traits of the animal kingdom, and the natural way of things. Religious people usually believe that if they do good for others in their own life, or even make their life as unpleasant as possible they are rewarded after death by an eternal paradise. One wonders how many good christian soldiers would not get out of bed in the morning if they weren't driven firstly by the concept of a promised land, and secondly by an irrational fear of hell. If viewed from this angle religious people come accross as the most megolomanic people of the lot, and the 'god' they create as their figurehead shares most of their worst symptoms. A flick through the old testement of even the most sanitised of bibles will reveal bloodshed, mysery, a distinct lack of any altruism and a continual feeling that "we are right, the rest are wrong". Even the story of Noah's flood, which is often the first biblical story presented to children, has, as a sidenote, the destruction of the entire population of the world bar 7 individuals and a lot of animals. This calous act is typical of god's ability to erase entire populations at will, a thinly veiled version of the desires and lusts of those early christians no doubt.

 

You see, religion spreads from generation to generation. We mock and laugh at football teams whose fans are rivals, yet here in Scotland you can still here phrases such as "don't trust him, he's a catholic" or "serves her right for being a catholic" in many different levels of society. Religion not only allows such conflicts to survive well past their useby date, it positivly encourages it.

 

And this brings me round to my first point. Human beings, being animals, still have an over-ruling tribal instinct. People are often motivated to act the most when they percieve their way of life, their practices, their beliefs to be under threat.

[Legion]

Human beings, being animals, still have an over-ruling tribal instinct. People are often motivated to act the most when they percieve their way of life, their practices, their beliefs to be under threat.

I agree Alan. We are tribal. And I think the time is past due that we see ourselves as one tribe, the tribe of humanity. But so many seem to want to divide us in various ways and pit "us" against "them." We do it even here, and I have been guilty of it myself.

 

Anyway, nice rant. Oh, and welcome to ex-C! I'm not sure if I had welcomed you or not.

[gradstu09]

But it is really when compared with human being's general short-sightedness that the sheer complexity of our communications come into play. When searching for lifeforms elsewhere in space we look for Oxygen rich planets, and we look for radiowaves, because we cannot comprehend life as being in anyway different from that of our own planet. Moreover christians argue that our planet would be uninhabitable if it were only slightly closer or farther away from the sun, a fact that once again shows our limited ability to comprehend.

 

I'm not sure why you are attributing this to religion?

[alpha centauri]

Religion tries to guard people against megolomania, narcicism, greed and hatred, yet these are all traits of the animal kingdom, and the natural way of things.

...

 

And this brings me round to my first point. Human beings, being animals, still have an over-ruling tribal instinct. People are often motivated to act the most when they percieve their way of life, their practices, their beliefs to be under threat.

 

 

Very interesting, thought-provoking post, Alan! I wanted to comment on a couple of things.

 

1) Religion — well, the Abrahamic version of it as presented by Judaism, Christianity and Islam — actually presents god as a megalomaniac, a narcissist and a greedy, hateful entity of the first order. Sure he "loves unconditionally," as long as you completely surrender reason and your will and devote every fiber of your being to him. Just "do exactly as he says and nobody gets hurt!"

 

He demands to be worshipped. Several of the 10 commandments are about him, and worshipping him, and honoring him, and not insulting him by taking his name in vain. Would an all-powerful, secure god really worry or care if he was getting credit or being worshipped? Of course not! The Bible portrays god as a jealous, angry, bloodthirsty tyrant, who's rather childish and insecure and needs his imperfect creations — people — to crow about how good, wonderful and awesome he is. It's really rather funny and sick, when you think about it!

 

As to humanity being tribal, BINGO — exactly! So to tell themselves they're on the right side, that their beliefs are true and that they are special and chosen, many people decide to cling to the idea of this almighty, powerful, omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent being to compensate for their own insecurities. They have to ally themselves with this god to find meaning and purpose in their lives, which is so sad. They begin to think of themselves as worthless insects without the presence of god in their lives. It's disgusting, and short-circuits their ability to reason or to achieve anything that this jealous, angry (but loving and forgiving???) god might not approve of.

 

So they live in constant fear of not living up to this god's expectations, and have a constant need to seek his approval by doing "his will."

 

What rubbish!

[woodsmoke]

But it is really when compared with human being's general short-sightedness that the sheer complexity of our communications come into play. When searching for lifeforms elsewhere in space we look for Oxygen rich planets, and we look for radiowaves, because we cannot comprehend life as being in anyway different from that of our own planet. Moreover christians argue that our planet would be uninhabitable if it were only slightly closer or farther away from the sun, a fact that once again shows our limited ability to comprehend.

There's actually a good reason for that. It's not necessarily that humans can't conceive of a form of life which doesn't closely resemble our own so much as it is the fact we'll recognize the latter much more easily. There was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation once which postulated the discovery of a silicon-based life form, which at first the miners on the planet it inhabited were killing in total ignorance because it didn't even occur to them there could be life there.

 

So when scientists, in their search for extra-terrestrial life, search for signs of carbon-based organisms similar to those found on Earth, they're really doing it simply out of expediency.

[Alan Bragg]

But it is really when compared with human being's general short-sightedness that the sheer complexity of our communications come into play. When searching for lifeforms elsewhere in space we look for Oxygen rich planets, and we look for radiowaves, because we cannot comprehend life as being in anyway different from that of our own planet. Moreover christians argue that our planet would be uninhabitable if it were only slightly closer or farther away from the sun, a fact that once again shows our limited ability to comprehend.

 

I'm not sure why you are attributing this to religion?

 

Because christians often use the fact that the earth is "just right" for human inhabitation, and therefore god must have made it. This is a terribly backwards argument, as infact we developed the way we did because the earth was the way it is, and I believe we could be different if the earth was closer or further away from the sun.

[gradstu09]

But it is really when compared with human being's general short-sightedness that the sheer complexity of our communications come into play. When searching for lifeforms elsewhere in space we look for Oxygen rich planets, and we look for radiowaves, because we cannot comprehend life as being in anyway different from that of our own planet. Moreover christians argue that our planet would be uninhabitable if it were only slightly closer or farther away from the sun, a fact that once again shows our limited ability to comprehend.

 

I'm not sure why you are attributing this to religion?

 

Because christians often use the fact that the earth is "just right" for human inhabitation, and therefore god must have made it. This is a terribly backwards argument, as infact we developed the way we did because the earth was the way it is, and I believe we could be different if the earth was closer or further away from the sun.

 

I think you are confusing creationist nonsense with actual science. Yes, Christians say this, but they distort science to make it fit their view of the world. The fact is, we might be able to imagine life on a different Earth, or non-oxygen-based lifeforms, or communication via something other than radiowaves, but science as we understand it does not allow these things to exist.