Mars is barred: why we shouldn't go to the red planet

[Toaster]

4x4Tyke said:

Fatalistic nihilism is what it is, so yes pretty sad.

Now you may think your being clever but if I hold fatalism and Nihilism as philosophies it means its a view on the world. It could well be that there is no real purpose for humanity (Nihilism) and whilst you could argue a case for Humanities purpose the case can be just as easily dismantled as could the case against Humanity not having a purpose.

Fatalism, best laid plans and all that, can we as individuals or as a group really say that we have control over destiny or is it a lucky accident ? You come from a first would country you have choices on how and were you live, is that you having control over destiny or is it the fact that the environment you live in gives you pre determined paths you can follow?

if you came from a destitute 3 world country born in to a lower class family (lower class within that system) would you really have the paths you have today?

We are a product of chance and accident

So getting back to Mars, should we go probably not, certainly not in terms of colonisation, you could argue Man only went to the Moon for political reasons......

[Toaster]

ash73 said:

Toaster said:

Now you may think your being clever but if I hold fatalism and Nihilism as philosophies it means its a view on the world. It could well be that there is no real purpose for humanity (Nihilism) and whilst you could argue a case for Humanities purpose the case can be just as easily dismantled as could the case against Humanity not having a purpose.

Fatalism, best laid plans and all that, can we as individuals or as a group really say that we have control over destiny or is it a lucky accident ? You come from a first would country you have choices on how and were you live, is that you having control over destiny or is it the fact that the environment you live in gives you pre determined paths you can follow?

Both are demonstrably incorrect. If you hold them as your own personal philisophies it suggests to me you've read a few pop science books and can't think for yourself.

Take moral nihilism as an example, it asserts no action is preferable to any other so killing someone is not inherently right or wrong. This is of course nonsense. Humans are strong because we work together, any intelligent species anywhere in the universe with that same characteristic will inevitably have a law not to kill others; morality is a prerequisite of civilisation.

Fatalism is also wrong. The universe is not deterministic, we learned that in the 1920s with the discovery of quantum mechanics. If you established the exact same starting conditions for another universe, or if this universe collapsed back in on itself to the exact same starting state, it would not unfold as before because all events are based on probability.

Clearly I was responding to 4X4tyke who decided without any evidence I am nihilistic and fatalism, there is as I am sure you are aware differing approaches to nihilism, you chose to respond with one approach, there are some with very dubious Moral compass's who have and do inhabit the earth so moral nihilism does exist. Having said this I do accept this is not what we would consider a norm for society.

Quantum Mechanics is a Quantitive science and describes the behaviour of the very small and therefore cannot describe Philosophy. Two different Sciences and two different approaches but of course both having validity in their own domains.

[Toaster]

4x4Tyke said:

Toaster said:

shallow appreciation of nihilism and flawed conclusions

If the universe is nihilistic, having no intrinsic purpose beyond existing, and we are a long way from knowing that, we still get to define our own purpose in life, as individuals and as a society, that including discovering the wonders of the universe.

Love it when words are changed for ones own ends it normally means they cannot think out of thier tiny box. We are not talking about the universe we are talking about humans, the purpose of life is to live it as skilfully as possible. You can argue around that but for individuals to have the ability to determine their own destiny is more by chance than self determinism the right opportunities, and environment have to occur in order for an individual to progress, the chance of an individual living in a slum in Mexico or India to have the opportunities to discover the wonders of the universe when often thier every waking moment is about survival is pretty slim.