To think the human race should respectfully die out?

[RomeoLikedCapuletGirls]

I’m not being goady as I’ve genuinely thought about this over the past few years as the following issues have come to the fore:

Climate change
Industrial meat industry
Pandemics

I’ve tried being vegan but always revert to eating meat for health. I’ve come to the conclusion that it was a much needed part of our evolution. The problem is of course the intensive whole scale nature of it, and the suffering it causes. Even the plant industry causes a lot of damage to the environment and ecosystems. The sheer numbers of humans needing feeding is the problem.

Again, with climate change. It’s a question of over-population. The more of us there are the more we deplete our earth’s resources we deplete. Limiting consumption is simply not working so we need something else.

And although we might crack Coronavirus, there’ll be another virus along soon to challenge us. And it’ll spread quickly because there are so many of us.

I’m not advocating mass suicide of course!

Just that we encourage our offspring to not have children until we have either died out or at the very least reduced our numbers to such a point that we are just one species amongst many, living on this planet and not causing the disproportionate amount of harm to the environment and other animals.

There’s nothing to argue that the human race should continue forever.

I’ve tried being vegan but always revert to eating meat for health. I’ve come to the conclusion that it was a much needed part of our evolution.

Eating meat probably did play a part in our evolution. It isn’t necessary for health now. Thousands of healthy, long lived vegans are testament to that.

I agree it would be far better for the planet if humans didn’t exist given that we are hell bent on destroying it.

Bit baffled by the first response, and sadly OP I think you're probably right. We are at the root of everything that's going wrong on our beautiful planet.

I don’t have anything I want to contribute - but I don’t think it’s stupid, or trying to cause argument (only discussion and debate), and I don’t think it needs reporting 🤷🏻‍♀️

I’ll check back later, because I’m too tired to contribute, but I think it’s an interesting theoretical rather than practical question, and I’d like to follow the thread.

Mm ok
You first op

I think I tend to agree. Sad for people of course if that happens, but the human race is a terrible taker and selfish with the planet.

Yes. We are a very selfish species. Earth would fare far better without us.

I absolutely agree. And this could happen painlessly if each adult made a commitment only to produce one further human being. Obviously this wouldn't always happen, with contraceptive accidents and multiple births, but that would be counter-balanced by people who were happy to have no children at all. The overall ratio would be two people reducing to one person. Gradually we could become extinct without denying anyone the fulfilment of their biological urge to reproduce, and give the planet back to the millions of other species we have trampled over so relentlessly.

There's absolutely no reason for the human race to continue its existence, other than our own selfishness, and it baffles me that people think the continuation of the human species is an inherently good thing.

There's nothing respectful about the human race though, is there.

I pretty much think the same thing Op. We are the cause of pretty much everything that is wrong with our planet. I genuinely think that eventually..one way or another (through either viruses, or climatic change/disaster) earth will shake us off like fleas and then gradually reset itself after many millenia.

I agree with you.
A

We should definitely hold less primacy and be fewer in number than we are currently.

Agreed. Would be far better for the planet and every other species on it had we never ‘evolved’.

Yes, but who’d willingly start the process? 🤷‍♀️

I agree OP. As a species we've been far too successful and have upset the balance too much.

I’ve tried being vegan but always revert to eating meat for health.

What a ridiculous statement! A plant-based diet is way more healthy than a meat-based one.

I despair of us we even pollute space with our junk now.

What a load of.bollocks . Sorry ,but you go first then . I meanwhile will get on with the business of living

Why not put some money behind your beliefs? This UK charity has some ideas.

Still and OP,

What do you think the ‘point’ of the planet is? It is just a rock, like billions of other rocks, circling a not very special (yellow dwarf) star?

If you don’t think people are special, then why is the rest of life on Earth special? Who cares if all of life dies out due to either us or a meteorite or, in about 4.5 billion years, the death of our sun?

I am a human being. For me, the ‘point’ of it (in as much as I can understand any of it) is my own species. We will probably be extinct one day, regardless, so I definitely would not try to tell another human being, arrogantly, how many children they should have.

Again, with climate change. It’s a question of over-population. The more of us there are the more we deplete our earth’s resources we deplete.

With Covid we've shut everything down in the world to potentially save up to a few million lives if the virus had been left unrestricted. This is the humane thing to do, but the irony is the population is overpopulated by billions of people.

This is such a negative attitude. Of course as species we have made many many mistakes and we can be selfish and unthinking. I don't disagree that we might need some population control measures but I don't think humans should die out . Not at all.. I think we need to find our best selves and use our higher rational minds to solve the problems we have. We are the only animals with this higher rational mind, it is just that we spend too much time living by instinct and reacting ( like animals do). I have hope that we can achieve that.

Yes, but who’d willingly start the process?

Plenty of us.

Just that we encourage [each other] to not have children until we have ... at the very least reduced our numbers to such a point that we are ... not causing [a] disproportionate amount of harm to the environment ...

Amended to my satisfaction. I broadly agree with you OP.

Is that you, David Attenborough?