What do humans offer the universe?

A very simple topic. And sorry if this is a copy of another one.

We treat our species in very high regard; we know for a fact that Humans Are Special insofar as we've observed, but our specialness is based around the capacity to understand. What is it about humanity (and inherently understanding) that makes us a gift to the universe? Or, if your misanthropic, what would the universe stand to benefit from by our extinction?

Observation. Insofar as science has proven, we are the only intelligent life in the galaxy. Whether or not we are good or bad, we are here, and, unless there is in fact another alien race out there, within even this section of the galaxy, we are the only ones around to care. "Does a tree fallen in the forest make sound if no one is there to hear it?" Certainly, but it doesn't matter because no one would care otherwise. That is what we offer, I think.

I am now known as Flyboy.

I don't know enough about the universe to ascribe anything to humanity or to the universe.

What does it mean for something to benefit the universe? The universe itself doesn't seem to be a living being in any sense we recognize. Do you mean that it benefits certain life forms within the universe?

ANSWERS FROM AONDEUG

1. Humans offer absolutely nothing to the universe. They just happen to exist and will just happen to die out at some point. The universe will keep on spinning. Then again nothing offers anything to the universe. In fact the universe has no purpose at all. It's just there and one day it likely won't be.

2. Humans offer the universe a way to get out of it. Humans are the most likely beings to achieve Enlightenment due to their brains and status in the universe.

Humans are capable of higher reasoning. They have sapience as well as sentience. Sapience is necessary to reach Enlightenment. Without it you've got no shot. Hell even with it you have little to no chance at it. Life is the world's hardest roguelike.

Humans are however not the only beings capable of it. Gods for example can. The two types of gods spoken of are highly unlikely to reach Enlightenment however. Asura are very prideful and often pissed so they lose there almost automatically though it's not out of the question. Deva lack empathy. They live happy lives and may go "Oh well that's a bummer" if they see some being die in front of them, but bye and large Deva don't understand the feelings of others.

They can't. They only understand happiness and boredom. They have no idea what suffering greater than "I missed my pool party" is for the most part. There are exceptions though.

Then we have ghosts. Ghosts are too busy moping around and wanting things to be able to get anywhere near Enlightenment. Wanting things and moping is their nature.

Humans on the other hand are sort of in a middle point in regards to this. They can be all of these things and more, but they aren't locked into it as a whole species like Deva, Asura, and ghosts are. Again for the most part. There are exceptions with the other three sapient life forms, but those are very rare.

The universe in Buddhism isn't really given a defined reason to exist or how it came to be or whether it will exist forever. However Buddhism is not nihilistic. The Buddha rejected the notion that life had no purpose. He also rejected pretty much every idea regarding it's point that existed during the time. It seems that Enlightenment is the purpose and that humans exist as a way to make that goal a reality.

Possibly. Again we don't have a defined answer that stays the same in all cases. Hell we even at times have a stance on what will happen to the universe when at other times we don't. Said stance is that it will end and be reborn. Because absolutely everything is subject to the cycles of birth, life, death, and rebirth. At least everything within reality.

Yet despite all this humans are not the most important things in the universe nor do their needs and wants trump those of all other living beings. In order to reach Enlightenment one must be detached from themselves and their species and love everything equally.

Oh and then there's the sapient life in Naraka who live in absolute fear and pain for many years in a pocket of space-time that exists outside of our own. They can't reach Enlightenment at all so long as they exist there. They have to die their final death in Naraka and start all the way over in the human realm.

edited 28th Jul '11 3:17:55 PM by Aondeug

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

Plastic.

I care about your opinions, but nobody else does, so keep them to yourself.

I don't see us offering anything more nor less than any other thing in the universe. Whether or not we discover all there is to know about the universe, we still accomplished absolutely nothing on the grand scheme of things. I don't like thinking about the universe too much. It's too big. It's like worrying about the biggest, most famous celebrity - we shouldn't care, yet we keep caring.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, I don't think the universe cares about plastic. The earth might, but this is the universe man. Unless the universe made earth just so it could make humans in order to make plastic.

edited 28th Jul '11 1:55:45 PM by HeavyDDR

I'm pretty sure the concept of Law having limits was a translation error. -Wanderlustwarrior

I don't know; between the suggestion and his avatar, I'd say that's the most solid argument yet

I am now known as Flyboy.

Science and technology.

Fight smart, not fair.

We can't offer anything to non-anthropomorphic entities.

Da Rules excuse all the inaccuracy in the world. Listen to them, not me.

Your soul? Blood ritual? Virgin sacrifice?

edited 28th Jul '11 2:09:48 PM by KingZeal

In order to benefit from humanity, technology or whatever, the universe would have to have some kind of goal, desire or need. I don't think there's any reason to suppose the universe could give a fuck either way, which isn't to say that it doesn't. The question is unanswerable.

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"Offer to the universe?"

That doesn't make any sense. The universe is not a conscious being. We don't have to offer anything to it.

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Orchestras across our world play Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

I wrote about a fish turning into the moon.

We offer the universe the ability to study itself and to know itself.

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Um, does the universe even take offers? Not quite sure where the direction is that you're taking this, but if nothing else, we're a rare occurrence of intelligence that can create order that rose out of chaos. We're sapient and building things that are rectangular, we're an anomaly in a sea of chaos that's otherwise the same.

edited 28th Jul '11 4:08:32 PM by Ramus

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.

We offer the universe unlimited access to free porn and a multitude of women to our alien overlords.

edited 28th Jul '11 4:18:07 PM by nightwyrm_zero

And a shit ton of malware to go with it.

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.

What if the universe is an ace though? Would it want porn then?

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

Well, maybe if we make universe on universe porn, we'd have something worthwhile to offer to the universe.

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.

What about barely-legal asian co-eds? Assuming the universe is male, every guy likes that.

Yeah, we should probably stop this porn derail before it goes too far south.

The emotions of others can seem like such well guarded mysteries, people 8egin to 8elieve that's how their own emotions should 8e treated.

Let us not forget the wonder that is the fried twinkie.

edited 28th Jul '11 4:56:54 PM by RedViking

Those observations have only covered an infinitesimally minuscule portion of the universe. Sapience, for good or ill, may well be something the "universe" already has in ample supply. For the record, I fall on the "ill" side with regards to sapience; I consider it, as well as sentience, a great misfortune for any species to have evolved. But like others, I find it ridiculous to speak seriously of the concept of benefit to the universe. The universe has no point of view that we are capable of knowing, no identifiable wants or needs.

We offer nothing. But then again the question is meaningless.

The universe is meaningless as is our existence.

I sound like a pessimist right? But I am actually comforted by this thought. It brings me a lot of peace.

I will always cherish the chance of a new beggining.