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Value

When I look at the marvels in technology that mankind has produced in this past century I can't help but wonder: Why are we so proud of our accomplishments and in ourselves? What has mankind created that hasn't already been created in us and in nature, in an even more refined and excellent form? Is not what mankind has created on this earth a mock counterfeit of the human body? We have a governmental head that for millenniums has failed to bring peace, order and stability to the rest of the body. We have a left and right hand that cannot work together toward the same purpose such as universal peace. We have eyes that cannot focus on the the true underlying causes of all our problems. We have a mouth that cannot speak a cohesive sentence to express one unified thought. We have nerve endings that cannot sense the pain of hunger and disease that plague entire nations. We have ears that cannot listen past our religious differences to hear the unified, pleading cry for salvation. We have legs that can take us to the moon but not to the negotiating table. The list goes on and on...
Accepted:
December 31, 2007

Comments

Joseph Levine
January 5, 2008 (changed January 5, 2008) Permalink

The question is rhetorically hyperbolic in a way that makes it hard to discern just what kind of answer you are looking for. For instance, of course we can "speak a cohesive sentence to express one unified thought"; all of us do it thousands of times per day. I grant however that human history is filled with horror, and that human beings are capable of great violence, evil, and in general a lack of empathy and sensitivity. On the other hand, there are many, many instances of selfless acts of great sacrifice out of love and duty. As for taking pride in our scientific, technological, and, yes, philosophical accomplishments, I don't see that our evident faults ought to prevent us from recognizing our evident accomplishments. Human minds are wonderful, awe-inspiring natural objects, and it seems to me that a combination of both pride and humility, in just the right proportion, is well warranted.

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