Is Man Responsible For Everything On The Brink Of Extinction Today? And...

[Dana]

If not why do you think man has a great desire to save species that are simply going extinct due to natural selection?

 

[skyblue]

take the amazon rain forest for instance,because its being cut down at such an alarming rate species are becoming extinct before they're even discovered and named....disgrace as it is man is reponsible for the extiction of a great many species

 

[Tangerine]

Man as a species IS a part of nature. Why are we not allowed to be considered as such? It's OK for a lion to kill a gazelle with it's teeth, but if a human uses his brain and a weapon created by using that brain it's not considered part of the natural predator/prey concept. It's stupid. MANY living things have adapted to the presence of humans and evolved to better survive. If some don't, THAT is natural selection at it's most basic.

 

[Sneakiecat]

It's OK for a lion to kill a gazelle with it's teeth, but if a human uses his brain and a weapon created by using that brain it's not considered part of the natural predator/prey concept.

We kill to eat just like any animal but we kill to remove animals from places we feel they shouldn't be. And that's what's not natural. A lion doesn't sit and think "That damn gazelle is in my neighborhood, let me kill it."

 

[Tangerine]

We kill to eat just like any animal but we kill to remove animals from places we feel they shouldn't be. And that's what's not natural. A lion doesn't sit and think "That damn gazelle is in my neighborhood, let me kill it."

We don't know what a lion thinks, because they don't have the same brain that we do. But our brain and ability to think and act is as much a part of nature as anything. Just because our motives are different doesn't change that.

To rebut your point, a gazelle doesn't think "why is that lion chasing me," either. He just knows his life is in danger and he'd best relocate as fast as possible.

I would also argue that many animals take on predatory roles for reasons other than food. Ever see "Meerkat Manor?" Those little fuckers turns on their own siblings sometimes out of sheer jealousy. And there are plenty of examples in the wild of animals killing for territorial reasons.

 

[Sneakiecat]

Jealousy for, what I guess, is mating. Purely a survival thing. If you ever get a chance, read this book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)

It's basically about how man has removed himself from the Animal Kingdom and puts himself above it. It brings up a lot of really good points that would me far too long to type out.

 

[doadesweb]

:homo:

 

[Tangerine]

Jealousy for, what I guess, is mating. Purely a survival thing. If you ever get a chance, read this book.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_(novel)

It's basically about how man has removed himself from the Animal Kingdom and puts himself above it. It brings up a lot of really good points that would me far too long to type out.

I'm aware of it, though I have not read the entire thing nor want to. I completely reject the idea that is implied that man is no longer part of the animal kingdom.

 

[KpAtch3s]

Man as a species IS a part of nature. Why are we not allowed to be considered as such? It's OK for a lion to kill a gazelle with it's teeth, but if a human uses his brain and a weapon created by using that brain it's not considered part of the natural predator/prey concept. It's stupid. MANY living things have adapted to the presence of humans and evolved to better survive. If some don't, THAT is natural selection at it's most basic.

:homo:

 

[Tim]

Man as a species IS a part of nature. Why are we not allowed to be considered as such? It's OK for a lion to kill a gazelle with it's teeth, but if a human uses his brain and a weapon created by using that brain it's not considered part of the natural predator/prey concept. It's stupid. MANY living things have adapted to the presence of humans and evolved to better survive. If some don't, THAT is natural selection at it's most basic.

We are a part of nature and that's why we should work towards keeping it intact. We have a greater responsibility towards nature than that lion you mentioned because that lion will only eat his fill and effect his locality. But we are much more evolved and with a push of a button wipe every living thing off the face of the earth. And with such great power comes great responsibility.

I don't ever look at it in terms of saving the planet, because no matter what we do here the planet will recover once we are gone. Hell, there will barely be a trace that we were ever here.
I look at it as saving ourselves. We have the capability to turn this planet into a giant cesspool and that's not a planet that I want to live on. So it's our responsibility to keep the place clean and in order while we are in charge. Because like I said, no matter how bad we mess the place up, it will completely recover when the human race goes extinct.

 

[dt3]

And with such great power comes great responsibility.

Thanks Uncle Ben

 

[skyblue]

Man as a species IS a part of nature. Why are we not allowed to be considered as such? It's OK for a lion to kill a gazelle with it's teeth, but if a human uses his brain and a weapon created by using that brain it's not considered part of the natural predator/prey concept. It's stupid. MANY living things have adapted to the presence of humans and evolved to better survive. If some don't, THAT is natural selection at it's most basic.

we was the last time you saw a lion kill an elephant just so he could cash in on its ivory?

 

[ssl]

we was the last time you saw a lion kill an elephant just so he could cash in on its ivory?

last week, in the backyard.

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@ tim & others: if we are in charge, and nature "gave" us this power... why are we holding back?

is it not nature to survive? if survival requires domination, then is that not what we should do?

 

[Dana]

we was the last time you saw a lion kill an elephant just so he could cash in on its ivory?

I didn't know lions preyed on shit that huge

 

[PoopaSwoof]

If the human population keeps growing at it's present rate then we will run out of resources in the very near future. We as a species had better figure out a way of dealing with this or God/Mother Nature/Gaia(whatever) will deal with the problem for us.

 

[skyblue]

I didn't know lions preyed on shit that huge

lions will take a sick elephant on its own,and they take young

 

[Floyd]

If the human population keeps growing at it's present rate then we will run out of resources in the very near future. We as a species had better figure out a way of dealing with this or God/Mother Nature/Gaia(whatever) will deal with the problem for us.

I heard this morning that NASA wants to be back on the moon by 2020...

 

[Tangerine]

we was the last time you saw a lion kill an elephant just so he could cash in on its ivory?

What's your point? The motivation for killing defines whether something is "nature" or not? Ridiculous.

 

[Tim]

last week, in the backyard.

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@ tim & others: if we are in charge, and nature "gave" us this power... why are we holding back?

is it not nature to survive? if survival requires domination, then is that not what we should do?

You have it all wrong, we HAVE dominated nature so the question is not whether we should or shouldn't dominate nature, it's should we shit in our own beds or not.

Like I said earlier, the earth will recover from anything we could ever throw at it. But it's more a matter of what kind of planet do we want to live on. And personally, I like the fact that I have clean air and water where I live... well relatively clean

 

[Alien Allen]

If the human population keeps growing at it's present rate then we will run out of resources in the very near future. We as a species had better figure out a way of dealing with this or God/Mother Nature/Gaia(whatever) will deal with the problem for us.

Mother nature has a way of controlling population. problem is we are not satisfied to living to our 70's

We want water and air that is more pristine than it was originally
We want medicine and health care that costs a ton
We want cars that can withstand any accident

The list goes on and on. I think there is a reason that things like aids and the plague happen. It is a way of thinning the herd. If we are going to keep extending live expectancies than at some point we are going to end up having another massive plague type event or we better find a way to control growth.