It is probably premature to ask such questions now. We have no idea how the world will look like in 10^20 years. And when I write no idea, I don’t mean we have several theories from which we have to choose the right one, but still can’t do that. I mean that (if human race doesn’t get extinct soon and future will not turn out to be boringly same as the present or the recent history) we can’t possibly imagine how would the world function, and even if told, we wouldn’t understand. If there will be intelligent creatures in 10^20 years, they will certainly have emotions we don’t possess, thoughts we can’t fathom, values we would call perverse, if even the description in the language of emotions and values would make sense in that world.
Why should we care about the world we don’t understand one bit? Trying to answer questions about such distant future puts us in the situaton of a Homo erectus evaluating the risks of inventing fire. Do we imagine any of ideas that a Homo erectus could invent would be even marginally valuable for us today? And given that we are no more than several hundert thousand years younger, flatworm would perhaps be a more fitting analogy than Homo erectus.
No, Darwin explained what actually happens. There is no should there; we invent those ourselves. Unless you meant that the consequences of evolution give us a better reason to care; but that would in itself be a personal judgement.
I care, too, but there’s no law of nature stating that all other humans must also care.
It is probably premature to ask such questions now. We have no idea how the world will look like in 10^20 years. And when I write no idea, I don’t mean we have several theories from which we have to choose the right one, but still can’t do that. I mean that (if human race doesn’t get extinct soon and future will not turn out to be boringly same as the present or the recent history) we can’t possibly imagine how would the world function, and even if told, we wouldn’t understand. If there will be intelligent creatures in 10^20 years, they will certainly have emotions we don’t possess, thoughts we can’t fathom, values we would call perverse, if even the description in the language of emotions and values would make sense in that world.
Why should we care about the world we don’t understand one bit? Trying to answer questions about such distant future puts us in the situaton of a Homo erectus evaluating the risks of inventing fire. Do we imagine any of ideas that a Homo erectus could invent would be even marginally valuable for us today? And given that we are no more than several hundert thousand years younger, flatworm would perhaps be a more fitting analogy than Homo erectus.
Darwin answered the question of why we care.
No, Darwin explained what actually happens. There is no should there; we invent those ourselves. Unless you meant that the consequences of evolution give us a better reason to care; but that would in itself be a personal judgement.
I care, too, but there’s no law of nature stating that all other humans must also care.
Darwin answered the question of: “why do we care...”.
Ah. Point taken; though of course he didn’t literally do so for humans, evolution definitely has a lot to do with it.