More on Human Extinction
Here’s a follow-up conversation on my earlier post, in which I discussed this article, that predicts the extinction of humanity within the coming few decades.Reader A: I am curious as to why the extinction of a species is anything more than Natural Selection? Why is it a big deal? 95% of the species on Earth have gone extinct over the years. Earth has already experienced 5 mass extinctions we know of. Humans have only been on Earth for a blink in the grand scheme. Are we really all that different than other creatures? All that special?
Reader B: You go from, one day, impressing me with cogent thought to, next time, astounding me with unbelievable senselessness. Otherwise, I have no words to describe WTH keeps your ears apart… but let me try: Your thinking is the actual problem.
Me: I had never run across reader A until just now, but obviously, I’m with Reader B, who happens to be a friend. It’s true that millions of species came into being and went extinct long before humans came on the scene, and yes, that was because they couldn’t adapt to changing conditions and natural selection gave preference to other species that were better suited. Most importantly, these animals were not capable of using their intelligence to help them along. In any case, there is no moral good or evil there.
There are several important differences in the case of human life, however.
In particular, humans are endowed with large brains that give us the ability to solve problems related to our survival. We are capable of reason, and are morally obligated to use it in constructive ways.
Thus, things like first-strike nuclear attacks and failure to mitigate climate change to the point that it bakes our only home are ethically indefensible, because, unlike the dodo bird (see above) or the passenger pigeon, we are capable of making choices that would avert catastrophe.
