Why is Extinction bad for the world?
Extinction is not bad for the world. It happens. 99.9% of all species that ever lived on earth are extinct. There have been multiple mass extinctions in the past. Life will always find a way with one species or another, though, and that species will rapidly evolve to fill the empty ecological niches. A good example is in the evolution of mammals. Before the K-T Extinction, at the end of the Cretaceous, most mammals were mouse-sized, nocturnal, and ate things like grains and vegetation. After the dinosaurs went extinct, the mammals quickly evolved into several sizes, behaviors, and eating habits. Extinction is considered bad by us because it means one less species for humans to examine and admire. It also instills a sense of guilt if humans are responsible, like in the cases of the dodo, the passenger pigeon, and the thylacine (Tasmanian Tiger), because humans erased a unique kind of living thing from the planet.
Is language extinction good or bad and why?
I see it as a rather bad thing. Extinction of languages is the loss of culture. Plus there are certain words, expressions and ideas that simply can not be translated so when when the languages become extinct so do they. I see no problem with using an international language to ease communication such as English, Spanish, French, Mandarin, etc. But I don't see any reason why only one language or a select few should be spoken by everyone.
Why is human extinction bad?
Is it though? Think of all the ill doings done by humans. Say the execution of all or almost all of the ones who actually respect nature…The killing of predators then the complaining about the overgrazing of prey. Example look at Yellowstone before the reintroduction of wolves. It was baron…overgrazed, lacking of life, then wolves were put there, not only did the deer population not get so damn careless which hunters liked because it make them easy targets…It also diversified the environment, while prey to wolves beavers came back to care for the rivers, Maybe not prey but what I really like is that the lizards returned as well. I don’t get why but humans love excuses to kill. Hell they even kill each other over petty issues
Why should we care for the extinction of animals?
http://www.actionbioscience.org/newfrontiers/eldredge2.html Extinction happens all the time. and mass extinction is also natural as well. and humans are animals, humans are part of nature So, humanity is causing the extinction of many diversity of animals. the sixth extinction is occurring, we are exploiting animals, changing the landscape, and spreading pollution everywhere. But isn't that what's expected in evolution? humans are evolving. and is performing the exemplary behavior of the fittest. over 90% of the species that ever lived on earth are extinct. So will giant panda, amoeba, cockroaches, and human. Humans caused this extinction? - well yah, we're part of nature so nature caused the extinction. We're destroying the ecosystem? - well, ecosystem changes all the time, and because ecosystem changes all the time that new species are created and extinction occurs. This isn't just one or two extinction, it's massive? - so was the extinction of the dinosaurs, but without the extinction of the dino, mammals won't have evolved the way we are today and humanity won't be created. we won't have animals to pass on to our future generations? - well, yah, but is that a bad thing? If the future generations die because we didn't preserve the animals, that just means that humans weren't fit to the environment after all. The biggest hypothesis for the reason of fall in mayan civilization is that they overused their environment. so what? it just meant that different people/animals settled into that area afterward and lived. On other hands, we are contributing to the creation of new species when we developed a whole lot of vaccine and all those malicious bacteria became immune to it, creating superbugs. now those bacterias know how to evolve well. in conclusion. saying that "we will prevent the extinction" is saying that "we'll preserve the environment as it is" which means that we'll reduce the change in the environment that lead to specialization. - now isn't that unnatural! without the meteor, humans wont be here. and without the upcoming 6th extinction, the new species that comes after that won't be there either. If we blow up the earth with nuclear bomb, it'll mean that lots of new species will be created to populate the earth
Why is human extinction bad news for us but possibly good news for Earth (unless if the Earth got sterilized)?
You could say it’s Bad News for us, since, as the humans discussing the issue, we’d be dead and gone and we assume that would be unpleasant or bad.Without humans, the ecological balance among remaining animals and plants would change, perhaps drastically, with some other species becoming dominant and maybe, after untold numbers of years, develop the intelligence abilities of the previous humans.Other than those obvious effects, “The Earth,” as a planet, doesn’t give a damn one way or the other (and never has) and will continue in its orbit, revolving as it has.
What do you think of Todd May’s argument that human extinction would arguably be both a tragedy and a good thing?
I read the opinion piece. The points he makes are valid.I believe we will be extinct and very soon. Overall, it will be a good thing. However, because of the global nature of the 6th extinction, all animals and plans will die with us.The only remaining people left will be the ultra wealthy in their bunkers.My primary problem with their survival revolves around the fact that the reason for the extinction is the greed which prevented global climate heating when it could be stopped.Their reason was that it would end their profit. So we don't need God to smite us we have destroyed every man, woman, child, animal and plant on this rock because of greed.Global extinction is the price we pay.
Is the extinction of the human race imminent?
The extinction of our species is inevitable, but not imminent. It will however definitely happen in the long run. Being completely wiped out (Which you probably meant), is highly unlikely.Extinction happens when the last member of a species dies. On average a species lives for about 10 million years. 99% of all species that ever lived are extinct today. This usually happens due to speciation where a species evolves into new species which then competes for the same resources. It is like the homo erectus is now extinct, but it's not like they all died, they just evolved into homo sapiens (us). So yes, our species will keep evolving ever so slightly until the differences are big enough to consider our descendants a new species.A wipe out, where all humans are killed of at once, or in a short time span, leaving no genetic ancestors, is highly unlikely. Since our species has been spread all across the globe, at almost every place imaginable. A complete wipe out would require a global catastrophic event. There aren't many like that possible and their chances are extremely slim and close to nil. Especially since it is highly likely that our species will even start to colonize the solar system in the next millenium (a 1000 years is a heartbeat in astronomical terms), which would require a solar wide catastrophe to wipe all of us out, which is even more unlikely and is close to impossible.So you can rest assured, humans will stick around for a long LONG time. And our descendant species will do even longer. Even in case of a human invoked disaster, such as a global war, there will most likely always remain a last man standing. Sure it might cause a technological fallback and life might be harsh for those who survived, but we'll still be here. The caveman life wasn't a walk in the park either, but we managed. We have pretty much already proven our resilience without technology.
Is animal extinction really that bad?
Everyone is crying that certain animals will become extinct soon, Polar Bears, Tigers, Condors and many others. So what? Nature will provide. Millions upon millions of animals, large and small, have had their chance on this planet and failed. That's life! If the Sierra Club or Green Peace were around millions of years ago, interferring with natures selection we would all be fighting dinasaurs today. If the Polar Bear dissapears, something else would take out all the seals and penguins. Sure there may be a period where seals dominate the Sourth Pole but something would come along and level out the playing field. No animal is vital for life to thrive on earth. If one or two die out, get over it. It's nature. P.S. Don't bring up "Global Warming" That's another issue.
Do you fear AI will cause human extinction?
Do you fear AI will cause human extinction?Of course… but not in the way you might think.There are some inherent dangers in awakening a true artificial intelligence. That can not be denied. But even before that happens, the culmination of effort realizing a synthetic mind of evil (to us) intent, there is a greater danger.And it is not the artificial intelligence.Who controls, designs, builds, and owns the A. I.’s?That is the real danger. The synthetics may become dangerous… but those that control the technologies are already dangerous.Right now they are wrapped up in their effort, perhaps. Right now they are busy making things work, I hope.Sooner or later the designers and builders and controllers are going to come out of their geekiness cocoon and start to visualize a world with mechanical beings and what that world will look like. Most of the controllers will be owned/employed… and those employers are the people with money. People with privilege and entitlement. People that are used to snapping their fingers, and getting everything they want.Between the inventors and producers of the technologies, and those that fund the research, there are brilliant minds, some of which are increasingly concerned with how over population is going to impact their future.And they aren’t happy with what they see.A.I. will make human labor obsolete. Even an unrealized A.I., just highly advanced robotics will make human labor obsolete. Once a robot can do all the things required of a person, including build its own kind, human laborers will be unnecessary. And when that happens… what will those brilliant minds need the rest of us for?The danger isn’t in A.I. yet.But there is a danger that already exists.