Phil Forum : Destructive Humans

A place for discussion of ideas presented in the BothAndBlog, or relevant to the Enformationism thesis.
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Gnomon
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Phil Forum : Destructive Humans

Post by Gnomon » Sun Nov 03, 2019 11:14 am

https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussi ... ent/348211

I cannot see how humanity could have developed to the point we’ve reached today without sprouting from a natural destructive inclination. Do you agree that we grew from a destructive disposition rather than a more cooperative one? Or if you think it was an admixture which way would you say we leaned more? — I like sushi

I don't think humans are inherently more destructive than any other predatory animal. For example, if wolves had the ability to develop technological extensions of their bodies, they'd quickly drive their prey to extinction. But humans are omnivores, with both predator and prey characteristics. We are capable of both competitive and cooperative behaviors. But, unlike most predators, we have no other species to counter our aggressive drives, as huge herds of ungulates tend to out-breed their small packs of predators.

Instead, the world itself is inherently moderated by a thermostat, in that constructive Energy is offset by destructive Entropy, and Hot is balanced by Cold to maintain a livable temperature. So, in a Yin/Yang world, the dual nature of humans is adapted to compete where necessary, and to cooperate where possible. But, our big brains give us an unfair advantage. The only counter-balance to human predation may be our own collective conscience. That's why, as a species, we have an angel on one shoulder and a demon on the other, in a wrestling match for our collective soul. Our intelligence allows us to turn natural forces to our own advantage, and to find ways to repair the damage when those short-term advantages turn-out to have negative long-term consequences. Such as using fossil fuels to warm our cozy little homes, that in turn threaten to heat the whole planet to an unlivable degree.

We're not gods, so we learn by trial and error. But the wide-spread cynicism, that views humanity as a cancer on the face of Gaia is due in part to another positive-negative technology : modern drama-driven media that report in bold print all the raping & pillaging by oligarchs, autocrats, and technocrats, while relegating all the millions of mundane-but-positive efforts to the back page. So no, I disagree that humanity is a race of destructive demons. Instead, we are a Yin-Yang race in a Yin-Yang world, with both positive and negative characteristics that generally balance well enough to keep evolution on an upward arc. Think positive. :smile:


The Moral Arc : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moral_Arc

The Better Angels of Our Nature : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bette ... Our_Nature

The Upward Arc of Evolution : http://bothandblog3.enformationism.info/page28.html

The BothAnd Principle : http://www.bothandblog.enformationism.info/page5.html

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