Metamorphosis

[StarsShaken]

Might an intelligent species such as ourselves be rapidly heading towards extinction? If so, might we eventually be compelled to accept another option; a metamorphosis from "caterpiller"-like behaviour to "butterfly"-like behaviour that is far less destructive to the Earth?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Might an intelligent species such as ourselves be rapidly heading towards extinction? If so, might we eventually be compelled to accept another option; a metamorphosis from "caterpiller"-like behaviour to "butterfly"-like behaviour that is far less destructive to the Earth?

I would say humanity is going to turn into crabs eventually.

Animals Keep Evolving Into Crabs, and Scientists Don't Know Why

Crabs have evolved at least five separate times, and the process for adopting a crab shape is so popular it even has a name—carcinization.

www.newsweek.com

 

[The Hammer]

I guess it depends on what and how you mean in practical terms.

 

[Heyo]

Might an intelligent species such as

I doubt that.

 

[wellwisher]

Might an intelligent species such as ourselves be rapidly heading towards extinction? If so, might we eventually be compelled to accept another option; a metamorphosis from "caterpiller"-like behaviour to "butterfly"-like behaviour that is far less destructive to the Earth?

The change will not be be physical, as much as consciousness evolving itself; update the brain's operating system. The human brain has two centers of consciousness; inner self and ego. The inner self is older and is the center of consciousness within all animal brains. It Is DNA dependent. The inner self contains the behavioral firmware that defines each species; evolution of animal consciousness. In the case of humans, it define our common human nature independent of culture.

The second center or ego is new and evolved about 6-10k years ago, and is connected to the rise of civilization; natural to unnatural human. Only humans have an ego and inner self. The ego is the center of our consciousness mind, and for most people, they assume this is the only center. The inner self is less conscious; sealed, but runs in the background, holding the bike, while the ego peddles, thinking it is doing all the balancing. If the inner self let go, the ego would fall. We do not have to think about walking, since this is naturally processed. But if you had an accident and had to learn to walk again, this will be the ego in charge, restoring the wiring with will and choice.

The ego is the problem, since it is not integrated to nature like the inner self. The inner self evolved, over eons, from and within nature; natural instinct. The ego is less integral and more differential, The ego is the source of all the different cultures, that divide humans, making each distinct, and therefore more detached, even within the cultures, themselves. Identity politics is all ego since this does not integrate, but differentiates; smaller clan distinction.

Logically, the needed metamorphosis, would require the ego learn to connect better to the inner self, to gain that natural integral wisdom, that makes us all part of nature, and makes all humans the same family; same species and same genetic personality firmware.

If you look at religious prophesies, the future is not about new looking humans, but a major inner change in attitude, that is more tuned to creation and is more mellow and natural like the animals; wise gentile nerd. But with more brain capacity; more powerful operating system. The ego remains, with more brain access but also allows the inner self to lead in many areas; Adam before the fall of the isolated ego. The ego stumbled unable to access natural instinct and had to replace it with manmade rules and knowledge; trial and many errors.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Might an intelligent species such as ourselves be rapidly heading towards extinction?

Humanity might go extinct, but if so, that would likely be due to a natural catastrophe like a major asteroidal impact or a relatively nearby supernova. Self-inflicted damage as with climate change or nuclear war wouldn't likely kill off humanity, just cause an extreme correction as seen in dystopian, post-apocalyptic movies like Road Warrior.

Could germ warfare or runaway AI - two manmade threats - lead to human extinction? Maybe.

You call Homo sapiens intelligent, and we are in the sense that we have explicit symbolic reasoning (thinking in words and mathematics) and technology, but scientific and other intellectual advances are the work of a small fraction of the species. Most of mankind is impulsive, prone to superstition and magical thinking, fairly uneducated beyond reading and arithmetic, unable to think critically, short-sighted, tribal, and prone to bigotry.

Regarding man considered collectively, it appears that he is not smart enough to avoid catastrophe.

Regarding avoiding climatic catastrophe, too late. It's here now. The question is to what degree and at what rate it will continue to worsen before man is crippled sufficiently to be forced to stop worsening the matter. Although it has come as a huge surprise to many including me, man will not do better than that.

Regarding avoiding political catastrophe, look at the recent American elections and the global trend of humanity to regress into authoritarianism, theocracy, misogyny, etc..

If we want representative images of these two opposing ways of viewing and engaging reality and society from popular culture, look to Lord of the Flies. There were two cultured, educated, gentle people and a majority that resembled what I just described. Or think of the recent mask and vaccine wars and the two intellectual and emotional temperaments exhibited there. Or the division of America into MAGA and non-MAGA.

If so, might we eventually be compelled to accept another option; a metamorphosis from "caterpiller"-like behaviour to "butterfly"-like behaviour that is far less destructive to the Earth?

The good news is that as long as the culture is preserved and knowledge of past mistakes is not lost, it is reasonably likely that the remnant will rebuild a better world than the one lost to them. That might qualify as the metamorphosis to which you refer, but I don't see it happening proactively. If it occurs, it will be a reaction to the conditions imposed on man by his prior errors.

It's all good from a transhuman perspective. The planet and the remaining life on it would benefit from human extinction, and to a lesser and less permanent extent, to a crippling of human technology without extinction. Analogous to the recent political cries of country over party, how about an attitude of life over species.

 

[Quintessence]

I'm not sure what you mean by "caterpillar" and "butterfly" behavior. You don't have one without the other and plants along with their pollinators have coevolved to be mutually dependent upon one another in a way that supports the mutual flourishing of pollinators and their plants. Are you saying this is somehow bad or a problem? I don't quite understand.

 

[StarsShaken]

I'm using the caterpillar to represent insatiable consumption, and the butterfly to represent future hope.

 

[wellwisher]

Might an intelligent species such as ourselves be rapidly heading towards extinction? If so, might we eventually be compelled to accept another option; a metamorphosis from "caterpiller"-like behaviour to "butterfly"-like behaviour that is far less destructive to the Earth?

I'm using the caterpillar to represent insatiable consumption, and the butterfly to represent future hope.

The caterpillar is restricted to the earth, while the butterfly can fly and leave the earth and hover above.

The caterpillar symbolizes materialism; tangible reality and consumerism. The butterfly is more spiritual; blue sky. With consumerism self esteem and satisfaction, is based on an entourage effect, stemming from physical materials, their prestige and social acceptability, none of which is lasting. It is like appetite that cannot be satisfied, to a steady state of contentment, since it is too dependent on things outside you, which also seek the same things. It like the good or bad bacteria in your gut, that reproduces to dominate, by eating more than others. What does the best in the shuffle of materialism become the dominant force.

The butterfly, on the other hand, is not restricted to the earth or to just materialism. However, when it lands on earth, it seeks the nectar; good thing of life, and not just anything that is green; money related. When in flight, it is above the hustling mob, and is able to find that place of contentment from within, with the wind; spirit, leading it where it will; resource efficient. However, the life of the butterfly is short compared to the caterpillar. In the end, its goal becomes to make more caterpillars, whose goal is then to feed, change and then hopefully each that place of contentment that is above the mob; wisdom of age.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Humanity might go extinct, but if so, that would likely be due to a natural catastrophe like a major asteroidal impact or a relatively nearby supernova. Self-inflicted damage as with climate change or nuclear war wouldn't likely kill off humanity, just cause an extreme correction as seen in dystopian, post-apocalyptic movies like Road Warrior.

Could germ warfare or runaway AI - two manmade threats - lead to human extinction? Maybe.

You call Homo sapiens intelligent, and we are in the sense that we have explicit symbolic reasoning (thinking in words and mathematics) and technology, but scientific and other intellectual advances are the work of a small fraction of the species. Most of mankind is impulsive, prone to superstition and magical thinking, fairly uneducated beyond reading and arithmetic, unable to think critically, short-sighted, tribal, and prone to bigotry.

Regarding man considered collectively, it appears that he is not smart enough to avoid catastrophe.

Regarding avoiding climatic catastrophe, too late. It's here now. The question is to what degree and at what rate it will continue to worsen before man is crippled sufficiently to be forced to stop worsening the matter. Although it has come as a huge surprise to many including me, man will not do better than that.

Regarding avoiding political catastrophe, look at the recent American elections and the global trend of humanity to regress into authoritarianism, theocracy, misogyny, etc..

If we want representative images of these two opposing ways of viewing and engaging reality and society from popular culture, look to Lord of the Flies. There were two cultured, educated, gentle people and a majority that resembled what I just described. Or think of the recent mask and vaccine wars and the two intellectual and emotional temperaments exhibited there. Or the division of America into MAGA and non-MAGA.

The good news is that as long as the culture is preserved and knowledge of past mistakes is not lost, it is reasonably likely that the remnant will rebuild a better world than the one lost to them. That might qualify as the metamorphosis to which you refer, but I don't see it happening proactively. If it occurs, it will be a reaction to the conditions imposed on man by his prior errors.

It's all good from a transhuman perspective. The planet and the remaining life on it would benefit from human extinction, and to a lesser and less permanent extent, to a crippling of human technology without extinction. Analogous to the recent political cries of country over party, how about an attitude of life over species.

Such an optimistic approach, thank you!

I also think humanity will live on in some form or another. And like you said, information from previous cultures will influence the next. If we think of a graph, it's usually unrealistic for a graph to always grow upwards. There are fluctuations. But the net growth of humanity I think will always increase (until it can't, but all things end at some point).

Things from ancient Rome persevered through its fall and influenced our modern first world civilizations. Things from these civilizations will do the same and bring us further. I can already think of at least a few things; germ theory, the importance of critical thinking, and human rights.