mitchellmckain wrote:The way life works, the superiority of our descendants makes us more significant rather than less. Our decisions in the present very much do matter, because the wrong choices determines whether our descendants even exist or whether they are superior or inferior in their achievements. After all, there is no inherent direction to evolution. If we remake the earth into a barren hell, our only descendants may be waste eating microbes.
The idea of space empires might be bogus, but that doesn't mean we cannot spread across the universe. Our decedents may be nothing like us, but I hardly think that makes us insignificant -- quite the opposite.
Interesting way of thinking... This does make sense from a 'species' perspective. However, I don't think I can agree with this from a more detailed humanised angle. Many men and women who are part of our historical data did not have children, e.g. Howard Hughes.
I guess the first question here is 'what matters'? Are we talking about the quantity of a species or the impact that 'anything' has over everything else? Considering the latter we - individuals, you and I, don't matter at all really. Or are we talking consciousness, because the human mind is truly a universe of psychosomatic & psychological complexities...?
This is a great question :)