Darwin and Intelligent life pros/cons

[404 Not Found]

If you where to arrive on another planet and discover two species that where less than 1% different. You would probably assume that they could do many of the same things? Yet on this planet, we humans believe we are much smarter than our ape relatives. In truth we have .6% difference in our DNA.

In denying that we have specific charecteristic traits in learning, emotions/feelings and evolutionary foundations, why do humans waste monies and research in looking for new intelligent life in and outside of our galaxy?

It would seem to me that we have so much intelligent life around us, but are ignorant of understanding what we already have on this planet.

There are humans and cultures in general that will deny any relation to the ape relatives we have. As a whole, we cage these animals and experiment on them to no end! Maybe the human race could learn from what we have on Earth rather than seeking it from elsewhere.

If we did discover another planet with intelligent life, would we attempt to enslave and experiment on them?

If they found us, how would we as humans feel if they experimented on us and enslaved us in zoo's for their amusement, even if we only had a .6% difference in our DNA from the alien visitors?

Perhaps as a race of what we call humanity, we could stop eliminating these animals natural habitats and try to understand, as well learn from our intelligent life all around us? It has proven that they can communicate and speak w/ sign language. So why is it that we ignore whats around us and deny the significance of this?

We live in a disposable environment of which we do not care what we destroy and ignore.

Many questions & food for thought....but it sure as hell makes me wonder.

[K2Grey]

A .6% difference in DNA is pretty massive. It in no way contradicts the idea that humans are smarter than monkeys.

[404 Not Found]

.6% is massive when one thnks of DNA in its entirety, yet what would we hope to find in the galaxy? Would it be welcomed by both or our worst nightmare. If the human race has a different make-up in DNA from what would be an alien race, how can we think that we would treat them any differently than the the mamals living on our own planet.

in a rhetorical question: Why do waste such resources to look elswhere and in the same time ruin what we have?

[Tone]

A .6% difference in DNA is pretty massive. It in no way contradicts the idea that humans are smarter than monkeys.

a .6% difference is in fact massive, the 99.4% accounts for why we both have heads, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, 2 arms, two legs, two ears, basic mamilian brain very similar, body type, etc. a monkey doesnt have 7 eyes and in the shape of a blob.

[Lucon]

Blah blah blah

[Subjugation]

Not to pick nits or anything, but where did you get the .6% figure? I thought our bonobo and chimp cousins were about 98.5% similar in DNA to humans...that would make them 1.5% different---still amazingly similar.

But I agree entirely with your point, 404. I wish people weren't so anthropocentric to feel so inconvienienced by showing a basic level of respect to the world they live in. Humans have such an unjustified sense of entitlement. Well, the Native Americans didn't seem to have this problem. But it's not just an American thing. There are many other cultures that share this trait.

[Kolar]

The need to find life in our galaxy is pretty basic, we're explorers and we have a need for knowledge. Finding life out there would really put our existance into perspective and would settle a lot of arguments hopefully.
There's 40 civilizations out in our galaxy alone with radio technology (estimated), we can detect a signal within a 10,000 light year radius so it's unlikely that we will find life at random, Seti needs to start looking effiently. It's just a matter of time though.

If we did find another planet(s) I don't think we should effect the biological processes happening on this world. As for harvesting resouces we should do it in a way that does not effect any surronding life. If we find inteligent life anywhere then I think a simple rule should be imposed to not interfer with their civilization until they have simular technological advancments and are prepared as a society to accept us.

[Lucon]

Not to pick nits or anything, but where did you get the .6% figure? I thought our bonobo and chimp cousins were about 98.5% similar in DNA to humans...that would make them 1.5% different---still amazingly similar.

But I agree entirely with your point, 404. I wish people weren't so anthropocentric to feel so inconvienienced by showing a basic level of respect to the world they live in. Humans have such an unjustified sense of entitlement. Well, the Native Americans didn't seem to have this problem. But it's not just an American thing. There are many other cultures that share this trait.

We're entitled to everything we can take, basically. I don't know what you mean by us having an unjustified sense of entitlement.

[Theif of Time]

We're entitled to everything we can take, basically. I don't know what you mean by us having an unjustified sense of entitlement.

No, we can take anything we take. We are not entitled to it, even if we are able to take ownership of it without any repercussions.

Entitlement is the guarantee for access to benefits because of rights, or by agreement through law.

Being able to take something doesn't mean you're entitled to it. Rape, for instance.

[Subjugation]

We're entitled to everything we can take, basically. I don't know what you mean by us having an unjustified sense of entitlement.

Ability and morality are two different things.

Just because we CAN rape this planet of all of its resources and render hundreds of species extinct doesn't mean we are entitled. To believe so is the ultimate form of hubris.

[Suh]

a .6% difference is in fact massive, the 99.4% accounts for why we both have heads, two eyes, a nose, a mouth, 2 arms, two legs, two ears, basic mamilian brain very similar, body type, etc. a monkey doesnt have 7 eyes and in the shape of a blob.

hardly...

slugs are like 70% match to us and there the shape of a blob

most of DNA is just left over junk

[Richard Creager]

We search for other planets because of all else, a human desires isolation. Being stuck on a planet with 6 billion others is quite unfortunate or to take things to the level that they are working on, being a country with hundreds of other countries sucks. The first one to get off and get away from all the other governmental entities that aren't apart of theirs will obtain an entire planet and society with a single unified will and rule without having to kill off all the other ones to do the same thing. Leaving the planet and founding your own is the easiest way to make a successful society, having to run around killing all the others takes much more time and money and has a very low success rate, as displayed by so many in the past. Though, the thing they have been able to show as being successful is a society that is unified under a single will and it's ability to execute what it desires to do (it's desire is the desire of all people living under its will because it is also 100% their will so they work for it harder than we do trudging to work everyday for nothing more than a bit of currency to do the meager things that keep such people from straying from this trudge. Even though they still trudge, it is still a turdge, it is not a spirited hard work with the sense of a fufilling goal behind it. Having a planet with a unified will is a fufilling goal and upon achieving would show itself to be so immediately since you are not working as a section of people divided against the other people on the same surface pushing away towards their divided wills. It is the limited nature of resources that makes a division of will and the continued following of either instead of the unified one pointless and thus making it the dreaded trudge. If you consider america's case, it is even worse than that I just described, because the people in our lines are not even all united to the will that is inside the lines. So, let's run this down, a society that's will is divided (and not just once) but is also not the only society (and not the only divided one eiither) that is using the limited resources is the case. So it is this planet's case that the collective will of all people and resources on it are divided many times on many levels into many directions, with such a division and multiple opposing direction, how possible do you think it is for a single section of will to achieve what it wants to? In this situation it is impossible, but in an isolated situation, like a single society on one planet makes whatever it desires to do to be able to be done without the friction of divided resources and will. This is why it is important to those who use the resources in an attempt to get away, but it seems that unfortunately for them the very nature of the situation is what prevent s them from doing so already and achieving a entire planetary society with an entire will so they can do what they truly want to instead of constatnly looking for a way to get to that point).

[Ilya]

i did not come from no monkey

[Lucon]

Ability and morality are two different things.

Just because we CAN rape this planet of all of its resources and render hundreds of species extinct doesn't mean we are entitled. To believe so is the ultimate form of hubris.

No, seriously. We're no less entitled to doing that than we are to having governments, or playing shuffleboard. You know why? Because the animals can't do anything about it.

[404 Not Found]

No, seriously. We're no less entitled to doing that than we are to having governments, or playing shuffleboard. You know why? Because the animals can't do anything about it.

it's a shame animals cannot do anything about it. I just wonder how....and this is a longshot! how we as humans would feel if intelligent life discovered humanity and experimented on us and harvested us for their food...hmmm

Well when the oceans eventually die and we are limited on what we eat that walks on land since we killed off or genetically changed everything it will be interesting. I am sure I will be long gone and dead, but hey that's why we have kids, so we can pass on all our problems that we put off for the next generation to solve... human ignorance....it's all around us & I do not claim to be exempt, but aware.


Well at least I didn't go off on some politcal tangent in this thread!