Human Supremacy

[otherlander]

is a myth, and a deadly one. How do we shatter the myth that our species is supreme, and not subject to the regular natural laws of biology? Because as long as that myth persists among the majority of people, I don't think it's possible to have any kind of sustainable society. Even those who advocate for environmentalism and animal rights will continue to believe in it: "We must protect *OUR* (humans') planet" and "As the higher form of life, it is *OUR* responsibility to treat the *lower species* (most life on earth) well" continue to perpetuate the myth, thus making even the "opposition" part of the problem.

[RC]

1. We are a most arrogant species. That aspect will destroy us and the Earth

will heal and go on without us.

[otherlander]

2. That's part of the myth too, I think.

For the majority of the time that humans lived on the planet Earth, they lived just as harmlessly as any other species. It's only for the past 10 thousand years or so- 12 thousand at most- that we've been exponentially growing in population and polluting the earth.

[Big Blue Marble]

5. No, actually that is not true.

Read the excellent book "A Time Before History: Five Million Years of Human Impact"
by Colin Trudge. He informs us that humans and pre-humans have always despoiled
their environments. The difference in the ancient past was that there were few
of us and we could just move on to the next location to exploit.

It seems that this is our fatal flaw.



http://www.amazon.com/TIME-BEFORE-HISTORY-Colin-Tudge/dp/0684830523

[Crunchy Frog]

3. Eventually the planet will demonstrate it to us

in its own way, in its own time.

[originalpckelly]

4. We follow the same laws, but when was the last time you heard an amoeba...

sing a beautiful song?

[Big Blue Marble]

6. How we know what songs amoebae sing?

We are unable to listen.

[Iggo]

7. Our species enjoys a temporary superiority...

...over the other species.

But who said anything about our not being subject to the laws of nature?

I shoulda went to college, because I think there's a name for that kind of illogical argument.


(EDIT: Oops...I typed "supremacy" when I meant "superiority.")