Do you agree?

[BigNJ]

Peter Wessel Zapffe (1899-1990) viewed humans as a biological paradox. Consciousness has become over-evolved in humans, therefore making us incapable of functioning normally like other animals: cognition gives us more than we can carry. We want to live, and yet because of how we have evolved, we are the only species aware that it is destined to die. We are able to analyze the past for broad expectations of the future, both our situation and situations of others; we expect justice and meaning in a world where neither occur. This ensures that the lives of conscious individuals are tragic. We have desires which reality is unable to satisfy, and our species still exists because we limit our awareness of what that reality actually entails. Human existence amounts to a tangled network of defense mechanisms, which can be observed both individually and socially, in our everyday behavior patterns. According to Zapffe, humanity should cease this self deception, and in consequence, passively end its existence by living out the lives already created but actively abstain from procreation, thus ceasing to create new lives.

 

[5Noles]

Peter Wessel Zapffe is proof that an idiot can in fact be highly educated.
I’m equally as conscious as him and I’m content and happy with my life!

 

[NEMSZ]

Peter Wessel Zapffe (1899-1990) viewed humans as a biological paradox. Consciousness has become over-evolved in humans, therefore making us incapable of functioning normally like other animals: cognition gives us more than we can carry. We want to live, and yet because of how we have evolved, we are the only species aware that it is destined to die. We are able to analyze the past for broad expectations of the future, both our situation and situations of others; we expect justice and meaning in a world where neither occur. This ensures that the lives of conscious individuals are tragic. We have desires which reality is unable to satisfy, and our species still exists because we limit our awareness of what that reality actually entails. Human existence amounts to a tangled network of defense mechanisms, which can be observed both individually and socially, in our everyday behavior patterns. According to Zapffe, humanity should cease this self deception, and in consequence, passively end its existence by living out the lives already created but actively abstain from procreation, thus ceasing to create new lives.

I mean, I agree with the over complicated part.. Humans, for whatever reason, tend to make fairly simple things extremely complicated…

Now, about ceasing to exist, I wouldn’t go that far…

But I will say;

I do think it’s ridiculous humans feel an overwhelming sense of over importance in the world…

It’s crazy to me that if we have too little bees (remember the whole “save the bees” thing?) the world gets off balance, too many wild boars; same thing.. Too little sharks, same thing.. Too many wolves, same thing.. Everything has a balance…

Yet we can just keep procreating and procreating and over populating many areas of the world with no consequence in sight??

I disagree with that whole heartedly… I think there’s already way too many people in the world…

With all the Roe V. Wade stuff going on here in the U.S. I think we should go ahead and abort fully grown adults, but not cease procreating all together.. lol

**The above was NOT to get political, please no one ruin the thread, it was just me making a joke… Thank you**

 

[jimmy orangaflop]

Peter Wessel Zapffe (1899-1990) viewed humans as a biological paradox. Consciousness has become over-evolved in humans, therefore making us incapable of functioning normally like other animals: cognition gives us more than we can carry. We want to live, and yet because of how we have evolved, we are the only species aware that it is destined to die. We are able to analyze the past for broad expectations of the future, both our situation and situations of others; we expect justice and meaning in a world where neither occur. This ensures that the lives of conscious individuals are tragic. We have desires which reality is unable to satisfy, and our species still exists because we limit our awareness of what that reality actually entails. Human existence amounts to a tangled network of defense mechanisms, which can be observed both individually and socially, in our everyday behavior patterns. According to Zapffe, humanity should cease this self deception, and in consequence, passively end its existence by living out the lives already created but actively abstain from procreation, thus ceasing to create new lives.

There’s some truth in his words. But I’m not too convinced that a species with characteristically high adaptability is destined to tragedy because of our consciousness. I think this guy Zapffe would benefit from an anthropology course. Consciousness and when it began is in fact a mystery, perhaps the greatest so that we are approached with here on earth. May have started with insects millions of years ago. Maybe god? Maybe humans? And so on… Who knows, I don’t pretend to. We cannot know the destination that consciousness has us headed to as a species. Pessimism like Zapffe will lead us to an earlier than desired end. The irony is we’re having a discussion about Zapffe who was essentially advocating for us to not be here to have this discussion.

 

[qbkilla]

I think in general people view humanity, themselves, and their cause/issues as over important. Someone might believe strongly ina cause, and get mad because I couldn't care less or oppose their cause or their solution. I think in some way there is an inverse correlation between intelligence and common sense.

An example might be someone who is an expert on all the little pathways of AAS/supplement use and optimizes them but doesn't bother to get 8hours of sleep or train as hard as the simple minded guy who just takes test, trains hard, and eats a basic diet counting calories.

 

[alfresco]

As a species, humans are a failed experiment.

 

[Bio]

Just keep the board rules in mind when answering this one..LOL! If I have to go back and edit a bunch of politics, religion, etc. this thread will be deleted and temp bans will be handed out. Carry on...

 

[pickapeck]

Strongly disagree with this nihilist agenda. Life trembles at the brink of stability, which is necessary for it to evolve to meet the challenges in the future. It's diversity guarantees that some segment of it's population within a species will survive passing on it's selected traits.. and over and over again it cycles. The problem is that the time scope is to short on view in these philosophers or points are cherry picked. Boxes are created and groups are erroneously placed in those boxes. Humanity is this or humanity is that, completely avoiding the diversity that we are indivdually and in our own chosen groups. We are currently in a 4th turning. The immediate future may look bleak as the morally bankrupt sociopaths, narscisists and psychopaths have cornered the market. Those of us that survive this 4th turning will give rise to a first turning and the cycle will have begun again. These are the cycles as they have been and ever shall be. Zapffe wrote his famous book "the last Massiah" in 1933 during global financial collapse and the aftermath of the Treaty of Versailles and the rise of the Third Riche, close to the last 4th turning.

 

[3BILLS]

hows the high dose gh experiment going ?

 

[BigNJ]

hows the high dose gh experiment going ?

Haven't started yet.

 

[FK86]

As a species, humans are a failed experiment.

 

[alfresco]

Never have watched the original Matrix. Any good? How about the sequels?

 

[11sh11]

A bit gloomy, to think that in spite of all the advancements, we're still all just fucked.
Consciousness also allows us to decide what to see, what to sort out, what to engage with, and how to 'feel' about all of it. Everything is a choice, and where one might have the awareness of death be a negative, someone such as chief tecumseh offered that we should live our life in such a way that the fear of death never enters our heart.
And from a scientific perspective, there is an auric connection between the heart and the brain, an actual wavelength, that causes the brain to respond to the heart. Its feelings. So it can be said that the voice in our head is our heart speaking.

I personally believe that what we think we'll find, we will. And its a choice

 

[FK86]

Never have watched the original Matrix. Any good? How about the sequels?

The original is a must-see and thought-provoking in my opinion. I would recommend seeing it. Personally, I like Reloaded (first sequel), but only because it's entertaining. It's not essential viewing. My thoughts on sequels as a whole is that no matter how great they are and how much I like them, they do, in fact, take away from the original by default. Rocky, Terminator, Matrix, Godfather etc.

 

[Gunsmith]

Humans as a species are very young in the grand scheme of things , and I think we will die off equally as fast due to our "higher intelligence"
Look at the larger animals that have been around the longest like alligators and such , millions and millions of years to evolve and they have a brain the size of a walnut and two focus in life.
Eat and fuck , thats it
And they will be on this rock when we are fossils.

If you step back and look at us it almost seems like we are racing towards extinction.

 

[ripriot]

Humans are NOT the ONLY species aware that death is our destiny.

He diagnosed a human condition but that does not mean sharing his belief that consciousness is a burden automatically leads to sharing his belief that life must be ill-fated.

 

[5Noles]

I think in general people view humanity, themselves, and their cause/issues as over important. Someone might believe strongly ina cause, and get mad because I couldn't care less or oppose their cause or their solution. I think in some way there is an inverse correlation between intelligence and common sense.

An example might be someone who is an expert on all the little pathways of AAS/supplement use and optimizes them but doesn't bother to get 8hours of sleep or train as hard as the simple minded guy who just takes test, trains hard, and eats a basic diet counting calories.

Well said!

 

[FK86]

I think in general people view humanity, themselves, and their cause/issues as over important.

We're just organisms. No more significant than that spider you killed in the bathroom this morning.

 

[Oscar777]

Children are great, they act very much according to their needs and spend the rest of their time at rest/leisure, but once puberty hits humans get ruined.... that's when we start getting jealous of who's looking at our girlfriend, feel envious because that guy has bigger biceps, feel the need to run for office because our way is surely the right way, feel the need to buy a Tesla and on and on and on with the BS, when everything we need, oxygen, food, water, sex, sunshine.... are all free if we could just stop our overactive imaginations.

Dogs aren't worried about gas prices, because that isn't a real thing in the natural world.

Sorry, kind of went off on a tangent there lol.