"Fundamentally, though, humankind is pretty crap." Discuss.

[Tonitrus]

Fundamentally, humanity is all we fucking have.  People who are down on humanity are spending too much fucking time worrying about other fucking people, and not enough time solving their own problems.  Hullman needs a Dr. Phil moment.

And what if other people are the fucking problem? (as is usually the case)

[Josquius]

Life is pretty violent and nasty.
Humans though are amongst the nicest animals out there.

[Richard Hakluyt]

As a Christian, sure, my positiion is that we're all sinners, else why would we need a saviour?

Yes, but we are also higher than the angels (at least potentially) and also made in the image of God. We are flawed, but as Scipio says, also the only game in town. Without humanity there would be nothing beautiful either made or observed, just a stupid dumb machine. I think it's very easy sink into the negativism quoted in the piece, might even agree with her on a bad day, but my considered view (after a cup of tea and my stocks are up) is that humanity is terribly flawed but also very precious.

[Martinus]

Humans though are amongst the nicest animals out there.

TheBrain will disagree.

[Slargos]

As a Christian, sure, my positiion is that we're all sinners, else why would we need a saviour?

Yes, but we are also higher than the angels (at least potentially) and also made in the image of God. We are flawed, but as Scipio says, also the only game in town. Without humanity there would be nothing beautiful either made or observed, just a stupid dumb machine. I think it's very easy sink into the negativism quoted in the piece, might even agree with her on a bad day, but my considered view (after a cup of tea and my stocks are up) is that humanity is terribly flawed but also very precious.

It's obvious that you've never played World of Tanks.

[Slargos]

Fundamentally, humanity is all we fucking have.  People who are down on humanity are spending too much fucking time worrying about other fucking people, and not enough time solving their own problems.  Hullman needs a Dr. Phil moment.

And life isn't short, it's the longest thing you'll ever experience.

It's still relative.

Life is too short to waste on meaningless things, even if it's the longest.

Similarily, since most people are morally corrupt, humanity as a whole is flawed.

I've always found the argument "it's the best we've got" to be terribly insipid. "We can stop trying because we haven't achieved anything better yet." Jesus. Fucking. Christ. Where is your goddamned ambition, you cretinous fiends! 

[Ideologue]

Humanity is pretty crap compared to what exactly?

Bonobos know how to live.

[Monoriu]

Humanity is pretty crap compared to what exactly?

Compared with what it could be.  Or should be. 

[Martinus]

Humanity is pretty crap compared to what exactly?

Compared with what it could be.  Or should be.

Everything is crap compared to a non-existant ideal which is imaginable. That's not a very useful stance to take though.

[Martinus]

Humanity is pretty crap compared to what exactly?

Bonobos know how to live.

The fuck everything that moves, yes.

[C.C.R.]

'Certain things can only be expressed in poetry'?

This person represents everything that is wrong in the world.

Life itself is poetry.  But, unfortunately, like written poetry a lot of life can be pretty shitty & painful to sit through.  In the end, we're all left with the choice of dwelling on & bitching about the shitty stuff or admiring (and helping create?) The Good Stuff.  I think that most of us would like to say that we prefer #2, but this forum itself illustrates how fun #1 can be -- sort of our own MST2000 for the shitty poetry of life & shit.  Or something...

[CountDeMoney]

Humans though are amongst the nicest animals out there.

That's bullshit.
You know, Tyr, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.

[Tamas]

Humans though are amongst the nicest animals out there.

That's bullshit.
You know, Tyr, I don't know which species is worse. You don't see them fucking each other over for a goddamn percentage.

animals are full of jealousy and agression just like we are.

I am not sure that our chimpanzee-like nature is the most optimal to build a civilization (eg. wolves might have been better, if given proper limbs and speech), but the differences aren't dramatic

[Eddie Teach]

Humans though are amongst the nicest animals out there.

TheBrain will disagree.

Where did these rumors come from anyway? 

[grumbler]

Where did these rumors come from anyway? 

Scientific research into animal communication.