What Drives Us?

Post questions or suggestions here.
Locked
Shade
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:41 am

What Drives Us?

Post by Shade »

Why exactly do humans have the urge to know and experience more? Why do we want to expand into space?
I have a few ideas of my own, but I would like to hear everyone else's opinions before I voice my own.[/b]
User avatar
Cory Duchesne
Posts: 2320
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:35 am
Location: Canada
Contact:

Post by Cory Duchesne »

Do you agree that humanity is largely violent, sadistic and controling of others?

If so, why do you think humanity is like that?

If you don't agree, or you think its more complicated than that, I would like to here your thoughts.
Shade
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:41 am

A Thinker

Post by Shade »

I do understand your thought, but before I answer you, do you agree with Darwin about evolution?
Shade
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:41 am

I do

Post by Shade »

I believe in Darwin's theory.
When one believes in Darwins theory the obvious answer to that is that when these kind of behaviors were integrated into the species it was for the good of the spieces. If these behaviors are now bad for the human race, then it will be weeded out through Natural Selection, of course. We will grow out of it.

As a real answer to your question, I think the world is violent, controlling and sadistic, but, as I said for many people these behaviors were built into them through years and years of evolution, so i can hardly blame an average man for a simple evil.
millipodium

Re: I do

Post by millipodium »

Shade wrote:I believe in Darwin's theory.
When one believes in Darwins theory the obvious answer to that is that when these kind of behaviors were integrated into the species it was for the good of the spieces. If these behaviors are now bad for the human race, then it will be weeded out through Natural Selection, of course. We will grow out of it.

As a real answer to your question, I think the world is violent, controlling and sadistic, but, as I said for many people these behaviors were built into them through years and years of evolution, so i can hardly blame an average man for a simple evil.
Yeah. What's ironic is those who claim to be "spreading peace" and "global tranquility", are the most violent and narcissistic. Look at israel and their stark hypocrisy. They will never end violence this way. They are guaranteeing it's existence with their totalitarian oppression.
Shade
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:41 am

Yes!

Post by Shade »

In doing so they guarantee their defeat, at one point or another.
User avatar
Dan Rowden
Posts: 5739
Joined: Sun Sep 09, 2001 8:03 pm
Contact:

Re: What Drives Us?

Post by Dan Rowden »

Shade wrote:Why exactly do humans have the urge to know and experience more? Why do we want to expand into space?
Ultimately, Nature drives us. More specifically, what drives us to know and experience more is essentially the ego and its attendant insecurities, which manifest as desire and Will to Power. Knowledge for the ego driven person is all about conquering the fear of the unknown. If you don't know something or haven't categorised it then it has some kind of power of you. Psychologically, this is what drives science, for example. Even though a great deal of pragmatic value can be drawn from the endeavours of science, it is still a quintessentially immature venture. We need to have explanations for eveything so as to feel as though we are in control of our world. Even God himself was invented for this reason. Looking at the nature of the Ego is the place to start when trying to understsand what drives us to do the things we do.

Also, on Evolution:
When one believes in Darwins theory the obvious answer to that is that when these kind of behaviors were integrated into the species it was for the good of the spieces.
That's not quite the right way to look at it. In fact, it's the wrong way as it implies an intentionality on the part of Nature which doesn't exist. Individuals get to pass on certain traits that turn out to be more conducive to a species' survival in given circumstances. It's important to remember that exinction is a more common theme in evolution that survival.
If these behaviors are now bad for the human race, then it will be weeded out through Natural Selection, of course. We will grow out of it.
Or we will become extinct. One of the interesting things about human evolution is that by dint of that process we actually now have some input into the matter of our survival or demise.
As a real answer to your question, I think the world is violent, controlling and sadistic, but, as I said for many people these behaviors were built into them through years and years of evolution, so i can hardly blame an average man for a simple evil.
Yes. To some extent, in terms of the issue of our evolution a more important question than how did we get to be the way we are, is that of what it is we want to become.


Dan Rowden
Shade
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:41 am

Very Good!

Post by Shade »

[Drowden wrote]Knowledge for the ego driven person is all about conquering the fear of the unknown. If you don't know something or haven't categorised it then it has some kind of power of you.

An extremely accurate theory, in my opinion. One of my answers to my own question was fear of death. Your explanation was admirable.


[Drowden Wrote]That's not quite the right way to look at it. In fact, it's the wrong way as it implies an intentionality on the part of Nature which doesn't exist.

I do realize that I did not take into consideration, that what survives in the Human Race only has to differentiate from another section of the Human Race only in the fact that one group survives, while the other doesn't. Thus, what is best for mankind isn't necessarily what survives.[/quote]
Shade
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 11:41 am

Post by Shade »

[Drowden wrote]Or we will become extinct. One of the interesting things about human evolution is that by dint of that process we actually now have some input into the matter of our survival or demise.

Once again, wisdom.

[Drowden wrote] Yes. To some extent, in terms of the issue of our evolution a more important question than how did we get to be the way we are, is that of what it is we want to become.

A statement that we should all aspire to.
User avatar
Jamesh
Posts: 1526
Joined: Fri Jul 22, 2005 3:44 pm

Post by Jamesh »

Why do we want to expand into space?

(if you don’t have a clue of what I am talking about, don’t be concerned, I don’t think anyone else here does either, I'm not really posting to allow you to sort out your ideas, but because I like to show how my theory of everything applies to everything)

We desire to be less finite. Some people say that this is just a behaviour learnt as an outcome of gradually evolving, but I say all things will expand if they are capable of doing so, not just life. That is what gravity does, however such expansion is relative to all other things that are also ‘attempting’ to expand, so only some things expand (evolve) and some collapse (devolve). This being the case I would say life reflects this and the true, most basic underlying reason as to why life actively seek expansion stems from the fact that all things have a dualistic nature, one side of which is the force of expansion and the other the contracting force. These forces are infinite, except in relation to each other.

The merging of the two creates a form of finiteness, of existence. It is the relative balancing of two opposites that allows for the formation of oneness, of thingness. The balanced portions allow for things to have a centre, a centre of gravity so to speak, and with such a centre an inside and outside come into existence. There is the outside of the thing - the total force of causal action of the sum of its parts, relative to all other external things (for example the manner in which the whole thing moves), and there is the inside - how each and every part is relative to each and every other part.

The forces are infinite because they have and will forever each have a single action – the ability to self-expand or self-contract. It is this action that creates the energy for the universe, it is the power that drives the movement that all things have, and through relative movement then different relativities of this power permanently come into being and things can evolve and devolve. The universes power is automatic, caused only by the existence of the two infinities, and not requiring any other prior cause.

In dense (relative to space) things like us the ratio of the contracting force is of an overall greater degree than the contracting force (that is why even we have the power of gravity) therefore the material that we consist of cannot help to balance this out by expanding – expansion is the path of least resistance as its ratio is lower than the matter we consist of. Purely physical expansion for any form of life however would result in the destruction of the patterns of thingness, it would lead to immediate destruction, so life expands in other ways. Darwinian evolution is these other ways, the gradual expansion through bringing into oneself other patterns of existence.

For us, the concepts expressed above are buried so far under layer upon layer of evolved complexity that perhaps no one can even relate to what I am saying.

do you agree with Darwin about evolution?

How could one not. You need to apply the same theory to the evolution of energy and matter though. All things evolve and devolve. Where the balances of the two forces are more equal, the stronger the external forces must be to break them apart – they hold together longer. Evolution is the phrase applied to the gradual coming into being of such balances.
Locked