Thinking about really big ideas
01/08/14 05:13
Human beings have sought to define our place in the world for as long as we have existed. What is our role amongst all of th eliding things on this planet? Are we simply another of the creatures, or are we unique? Philosophers have often posited that the fact that we ask the question makes us unique. Humans are the only creatures, so far as we know, who contemplate our place in the world.
People of our strain of faith have come down on the side of humans as unique amongst the creatures for a very long time. In the most ancient of times, our uniqueness was caught up in our ability to wander great distances. We didn’t know, in those times of the great migrations of birds or of the huge range of land mammals such as the caribou or buffalo. We knew nothing of the distances traveled by sea turtles. Because we found particular animals in particular places, we assumed that the animals were more or less static. As we traveled more and observed the world more, we began to shift our ideas. During the time of the great exile in Babylon our ideas were shaped and bent by the constant exposure to the ideas of those among whom we were forced to live. Some of their ideas were so different from ours that we rebelled and became more attached to our own world view. This was perhaps most evident in our monotheism. Whereas our people had at some points in our history claimed that our God was the greatest of gods, we had acknowledged that other people had their gods and perhaps ours was one among many. After the exile, we emerged with an adamant belief that there is only one true God. All other gods are false. But other ideas and notions were shaped by that experience and by the experiences of others. We emerged from the exile with a newer set of stories of creation in which humans were given a unique role among the other creatures from the start. We were to have dominion over the other creatures and responsibility to care for the earth.
Of course how to care for the earth and how to exercise dominion are difficult challenges and we haven’t always agreed on how to exercise that role. These days we can look at some of the things that have occurred in the past with regret. The extinction of some species caused by either human carelessness or our greediness seem to us to be rather blatant mistakes. There was no reason for us to kill off all of the carrier pigeons other than our greed. The decrease in biological diversity caused by deforestation of large areas of land is seen as a problem that needs to be addressed and changed.
Of course we don’t always agree on how to address the problems that we can identify. Some of the science shows that I listen to speculate that with a little genetic manipulation we might be able to re-introduce species once thought to be extinct. By taking DNA from museum specimens and finding suitably similar birds, perhaps a bird very much like the carrier pigeon could one day in the future fly in our skies. Careful and selective breeding of Galapagos island turtles might allow the reintroduction of some species thought to be extinct. I have heard similar proposals with regards to animals that became extinct much earlier, such as woolly mammoths. I have mixed feelings about such proposals. On the one hand they might extend our understanding of the world. On the other hand, it is a simple fact that there is a linear nature to time. We can’t go back to a previous time in history. Even if we were to reintroduce a formerly-extinct species, the world has changed in the meantime. We cannot recreate the past.
The nature of time is another idea that has continued to change over the history of our people, but we have, for the most part, viewed time as linear with a singular forward motion.
How much do we intervene and how much do we allow nature to take its own course? It is easy to argue for intervention when we see the pain and suffering and needless death from diseases like malaria. We know quite a bit about preventing the spread of malaria among humans. It seems to be wrong not to use our knowledge to eliminate the particular mosquitoes that spread the infection. Yes, there may be unintended consequences, but to do nothing in the face of such suffering doesn’t seem to be our calling.
A similar response is called for in the sudden spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa. We know quite a bit about the mechanism of transmission of the disease. We know quite a bit about how to decrease its spread. To do nothing seems cruel and absurd.
As we have gained more knowledge and information about the world and as we expand our understanding of the nature of the universe our discussions have shifted, but the conversation about the nature of human beings and our role in this universe continues. For me there is a certain kind of pleasure that comes from reading Psalm 8: “When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou has established, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?” Our people have been contemplating our place in the universe since antiquity. We haven’t got it all figured out. But there is a certain pleasure in having a thought that was shared by the ancients and will be shared with generations as yet unborn.
One thing about our role is certain - we belong to a people whose impact on this universe is much greater than any single life.
People of our strain of faith have come down on the side of humans as unique amongst the creatures for a very long time. In the most ancient of times, our uniqueness was caught up in our ability to wander great distances. We didn’t know, in those times of the great migrations of birds or of the huge range of land mammals such as the caribou or buffalo. We knew nothing of the distances traveled by sea turtles. Because we found particular animals in particular places, we assumed that the animals were more or less static. As we traveled more and observed the world more, we began to shift our ideas. During the time of the great exile in Babylon our ideas were shaped and bent by the constant exposure to the ideas of those among whom we were forced to live. Some of their ideas were so different from ours that we rebelled and became more attached to our own world view. This was perhaps most evident in our monotheism. Whereas our people had at some points in our history claimed that our God was the greatest of gods, we had acknowledged that other people had their gods and perhaps ours was one among many. After the exile, we emerged with an adamant belief that there is only one true God. All other gods are false. But other ideas and notions were shaped by that experience and by the experiences of others. We emerged from the exile with a newer set of stories of creation in which humans were given a unique role among the other creatures from the start. We were to have dominion over the other creatures and responsibility to care for the earth.
Of course how to care for the earth and how to exercise dominion are difficult challenges and we haven’t always agreed on how to exercise that role. These days we can look at some of the things that have occurred in the past with regret. The extinction of some species caused by either human carelessness or our greediness seem to us to be rather blatant mistakes. There was no reason for us to kill off all of the carrier pigeons other than our greed. The decrease in biological diversity caused by deforestation of large areas of land is seen as a problem that needs to be addressed and changed.
Of course we don’t always agree on how to address the problems that we can identify. Some of the science shows that I listen to speculate that with a little genetic manipulation we might be able to re-introduce species once thought to be extinct. By taking DNA from museum specimens and finding suitably similar birds, perhaps a bird very much like the carrier pigeon could one day in the future fly in our skies. Careful and selective breeding of Galapagos island turtles might allow the reintroduction of some species thought to be extinct. I have heard similar proposals with regards to animals that became extinct much earlier, such as woolly mammoths. I have mixed feelings about such proposals. On the one hand they might extend our understanding of the world. On the other hand, it is a simple fact that there is a linear nature to time. We can’t go back to a previous time in history. Even if we were to reintroduce a formerly-extinct species, the world has changed in the meantime. We cannot recreate the past.
The nature of time is another idea that has continued to change over the history of our people, but we have, for the most part, viewed time as linear with a singular forward motion.
How much do we intervene and how much do we allow nature to take its own course? It is easy to argue for intervention when we see the pain and suffering and needless death from diseases like malaria. We know quite a bit about preventing the spread of malaria among humans. It seems to be wrong not to use our knowledge to eliminate the particular mosquitoes that spread the infection. Yes, there may be unintended consequences, but to do nothing in the face of such suffering doesn’t seem to be our calling.
A similar response is called for in the sudden spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa. We know quite a bit about the mechanism of transmission of the disease. We know quite a bit about how to decrease its spread. To do nothing seems cruel and absurd.
As we have gained more knowledge and information about the world and as we expand our understanding of the nature of the universe our discussions have shifted, but the conversation about the nature of human beings and our role in this universe continues. For me there is a certain kind of pleasure that comes from reading Psalm 8: “When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou has established, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him?” Our people have been contemplating our place in the universe since antiquity. We haven’t got it all figured out. But there is a certain pleasure in having a thought that was shared by the ancients and will be shared with generations as yet unborn.
One thing about our role is certain - we belong to a people whose impact on this universe is much greater than any single life.