Reply To: The recent "discovery" of Dark Matter

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Rezwan wrote: If people disappear – like the rapture comes or a unique to humans virus – and there’s no one around to maintain things, all our artifacts and impacts will just get swallowed back by nature. Most of this happens in 500 years, and, except for deserts where things don’t rot, by a few thousand years (NOTHING in geological time, or even natural history time) there won’t be a trace of us.

Amazingly perceptive post.

Humans are important only to humans. The universe doesn’t care a bit about us.

Also as it turns out, if humans are the only conscious life on earth, then we’re the only thing capable of appreciating any life at all. With humans out of the picture, if the sun goes nova and earth is boiled, no other conscious being would know or care.

What I’m saying is that the value of all life on earth is an outcome of humanity itself. Humanity is in a position to affect all life on earth, but it’s the only thing capable of even appreciating that life.

I hate tree hugging environmentalists, with their holier than thou attitude. It’s like to them nothing would be better than for humans to be removed from the equation. But without those humans, who is left to perceive the beauty? I don’t trust any big mass movements, particularly Al Gore’s kind. I think they’re just after power and control. The environment is just a Convenient Excuse.