Do you have a humanocentric worldview?

by Norm 27 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Norm

  You are out with your child in a field of beautiful flowers, you ask the child what purpose the flowers
  serve. The child tell you that one of the techers has told the class that the flowers are there to make it pretty for us humans, so we can enjoy their beauty. A very nice thought but oh so hopeless and incorrect.

  Much of our culture which are quite colored by the Bible, have caused an extremely humanocentric view. We have a long history of putting mankind foremost in our way of thinking. This has even gone to such extremes as thinking the earth was the center of everythimg, the sun, the moon and the stars was there for us, all animals, plants etc are here for us. Just remember the flood myth what God said to Noah and his family about the earth, the animals etc.

  Of course there was quite an uproar when science pointed out that the earth was revolving around the sun. That was a very dangerous undertaking as it dealt a serious blow to the idea of the earth being the center of things. Science has chipped away at this worldview ever since.

  Of course nothing around us are here for us. It is just here because the earths environment make such a diversity of different life possible. Here is the right conditions for life to thrive. The sky isn't blue so we should think it is pretty, everything in nature that we find pleasing and beautiful isn't there for that purpose. The animals aren't here for us, they are not ours although we kill and eat them as they do among themselves.

  The humanocentric way of seeing everything around us that we share this planet with has caused much harm both to the environent and to many animal species and continues to do so. There is little humbleness in such a view.
  But this way of thinking is so ingrained in us that it is extremely hard to think otherwise. I think we all need to ponder such questions much more then we do today.

  Norm
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  Satanus

  Realising that we are animals is a good step toward seeing where we stand on this earth. We just happen to be the highest animal. But just because we are at the top of the system doesn't mean that we aren't a part of it.

  I see civilisation as an organism in itself. As such we reprocess practically everything in nature that we touch. With enough population density, we alter it somehow, polluting it, asphalting it, beautifying it, domesticating it, etc. If this is the case (the organism thing), then what we do may be as natural a process as evolution itself. And, as evolution may have been trial and error, we also do a lot of trial and error.

  S

  S
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  Valis

  norm, I would certainly hope my world view is more centered around humanity and the humanities in general, versus the real egocentric worldview that most organized religions stick to today.....it would seem to me the egocentrism gives way to science at a rather slow clip, per your example of the Sun revolving around the Erath...I'm just waiting for the aliens to come and lay some new cards on the table as far as human domination or rank of importance in the universe. You and Kent don't count as aliens BTW...just wierd fuckers..

  Sincerely,

  District Overbeer
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  Panda

  Well I would like the universe to revolve around me... does that count?
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  frankiespeakin

  Norm,

  I think you hit on a very important point! The bible is full of Humanocentric or (Ego-centric) viewpoints they even go so far as to say God made man in his image which implies that man is the highest form of life almost equal to God. The animals are there for man to dominate over. These idea's are deadly wrong for a species like us to have,,in that we don't feel a sacredness of all life and so we plunder it and feel it our right before God.

  I tend to think our survival tool the ego is what get's us to think this way it is a natural process that has caused our species to be aggressive which lead to wars greed and other types of trama. I think that evolution will occur to make man more benevolent and less destructive,,this may include being humble by severe after effects of his aggressive behavior but I think it will happen because we have reached a higher level of awareness which as we speak keeps growing,,,
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  ColdRedRain

  I see things in a humanocentric world veiw because we literally have no choice but to. We're the only species in our globe that can affect the earth. Which dolphin can set a bomb on an earthquake fault and cause an earthquake? Which chimpanzee can make a hurricane fall apart? Which dung beetle can cure diseases that have plauged earth for centuries?

  However, I also take the position that no matter how much we can affect nature, it's a part of us and we can't play around with it, and somtimes, we have to call nature "Momma".
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  Golf

  Norm, may I suggest you take up golf. At least you have 18 holes to play with.
  
  
  Guest77
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  gumby

  Valis....you cheap slut.......your the one who started off the DNA for weirdness you bastard!

  The humanocentric way of seeing everything around us that we share this planet with has caused much harm both to the environent and to many animal species and continues to do so. There is little humbleness in such a view.

  Very true in many ways Norm.....however man has and can do much good for the planet. Luckily we are at a turning point in which man has realised the earth is vulnerable and can be ruined to the point of being an unfit place to live. Hopefully before man annihilates himself, he will discover how to live possibly forever......happily.

  Gumby
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  Sunnygal41

  We just happen to be the highest animal.

  By highest, what exactly do you mean? Just because other species don't think the way we do does not make us higher or intellectually superior to them. This, I think, is where the problem lies. We as human animals feel that we are superior because we have reached out to communicate with other species on our own planet and because they don't communicate back to us in the same way, we negate their intelligence. Terri
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  new light

  Every animal is partial to its own kind. At least humans make the effort to be diplomatic.