On Thursday, February 23, 2017 at 5:15:37 PM UTC-7, Chris L Peterson wrote:

On Thu, 23 Feb 2017 12:08:54 -0800 (PST),
wrote:

Yes. Basically, they both ignore the fact that humans have a built-in
aversion to self-destruction else there wouldn't be any humans.

On an individual level, yes. As a species? Not apparent.

That makes no sense to me. If we had no such aversion many would perish
from suicide and most would perish from neglect, leaving no one. There
is not a single species that behaves that way.

It is entirely irrelevant to the original topic. But Gary, and now
you, have shifted to something completely different, which is what I
responded to.

I don't think it is different. If one believes that the human race is
slated for extinction, why worry about AGW? Is it because it may affect
you personally before you "shrug off this mortal coil"?

Same question. If you believe you're going to die, why worry about
anything?

Ezactly. But we do worry: to prevent immediate harm, to prevent harm to
those we love, to prevent harm to the race.

But I fail to understand why the inevitability of my personal death and
of the extinction of the human species in any way alters the meaning I
create for my own life while I am living it.

Have you ever experienced existential angst?

No.

That's a good thing, I guess.

I fail to understand the reasoning that our lives only have meaning if
we are somehow individually immortal.

I can certainly understand the pride in the human race as expressed by
Heinlein, particularly in "Starship Troopers." But you don't seem to
even have that. That's why I'm wondering. What "meaning" do you create?
What keeps you from experiencing existential angst?

Why would I have pride in my species? That makes no sense to me. I can
only take pride in things of my own making. I create my own meaning in
terms of my experiences, my friends and family, the knowledge I
discover, the knowledge I pass on. I can't understand how a person
would not find such things give meaning to their lives.

I believe they _all_ do.

Indeed, if I required some sort of afterlife or some kind of external
judgment, then I'd consider things meaningless.

In most religions, what one does in this life affects what kind of afterlife
he'll have. That certainly would make "things" meaningful to one rather
than meaningless. OTOH, religions that avow predestination would seem to
fit your prescription.