NationStates

What is the ultimate, final goal of mankind? What is the last and greatest thing we can accomplish? And what happens if and when it's done?

I find this to be a very difficult question. I've contemplated the idea of apotheosis, that a human consciousness might one day attain omniscience and omnipotence, perhaps by means of merging all conscious minds together or with an AI, but who can say if we should become God or what we would even do if we did become God?

If the universe is on track to end in heat death or the big rip or by some other means, should we find a way to prevent it, or should we accept that life cannot go on forever?

I cannot answer these questions as despite all our progress, we are probably not even scratching the surface of knowledge. Maybe there is already a God out there who thinks it is omnipotent but in fact is an insignificant entity ignorant of a greater cosmos that it inhabits, its whole creation nothing more than a sand castle on a beach on a continent on a planet in a galaxy. Perhaps the entire observable universe is nothing more than a little flicker in a greater everything and its end will mean nothing more to the greater cosmos than a candle being snuffed out in our world.

For now, I think we must continue to advance ourselves technologically as well as improving our character. I am open to the idea that our descedents a thousand years from now will see us as barbaric, cruel, and stupid savages. Only time will tell what is out there and what we can or should do.

Humanity is fractured and divided, and it's unlikely that it'll be truly unified. Even with something hypothetical like a world government, there'll always be splinter groups with different interests and opinions. I doubt there'd be an ultimate goal because people can never completely agree on everything.

Survival is the driving force of any species, but without the limitations of the natural order I expect humanity would take these directives to the extreme as they eternally procreate among the stars.

There is no single ultimate goal for mankind.

We should strive to be something more like the Star Trek universe, or at the very least the Mass Effect universe.

Humanity isn't a united front and we'll most likely fight each other to extinction or near extinction.

There is no spoon goal.

Fuck whatever species succeeds you.

Beginning to think our life here on earth is to learn lessons and will repeat until we learn the lesson(s). I just hope we don't destroy nature in the process. Also I hope that everything that goes extinct here respawns on another earth somewhere else. I chose options [To become immortal beings] & [Apotheosis (becoming gods)].

Page wrote:What is the ultimate, final goal of mankind? What is the last and greatest thing we can accomplish? And what happens if and when it's done?

Ultimately, loving God completely. When you completely love God you're set and saved.

Launching our planet into the Sun before it's engulfed in a few billion years anyways.

I'm of the approximate opinion that no person or force has prescribed humanity a higher goal, but as someone who values human well-being no matter where or when it occurs (if the happiness of a subsistence farmer in Africa is as good as that of a billionaire in Europe, why would the happiness of our children matter less than ours?), I have some interest in keeping humanity around into the far future so our descendants can live satisfying lives as we do, or, hopefully, better ones.

If we manage to make it out of our current little coordination-problem-fest, heat death's gonna suck. I personally doubt the laws of thermodynamics can be bent or that we can escape to a fresher new universe (it's a relaxing fantasy when I get distressed about our universe, but not a practical thing). In that case, it's just our job to have as much fun as we can, because the alternative is, what, living terrible lives and thinking "yep, this is how things should be"? I'm a little more biased to preference-based setups of consequentialism, since some people think "happiness is only caused by sadness" and I don't want to leave them out, but honestly this boils down to ensuring we don't unnecessarily cause terrible lives, whether that's by bringing children into good worlds or not bringing them into awful ones.

Neanderthaland wrote:Fuck whatever species succeeds you.

Kinky.

sitting around the fire singing songs before retiring to a safe and comfortable abode while the problems of the world receive much attention and care

The Greater Ohio Valley wrote:We should strive to be something more like the Star Trek universe, or at the very least the Mass Effect universe.

I'd love for mankind to become like the Federation, a resource based economy with no money anymore, but I think it will take a long, long time to reach that point if we can get there at all.

Mass Effect isn't very grim as far as sci-fi goes, I suppose that isn't too much to hope for. Let's just hope there are no reapers.

I was the first to choose the Religious Option? Aight.

Neanderthaland wrote:Fuck whatever species succeeds you.

do I want to know what you mean or...

Life is good but it would be nice to live in heaven.

Sundiata wrote:Life is good but it would be nice to live in heaven.

West Virginia is very pretty.

To have a goal for humanity is to reject the chaotic absurdity that the universe provides. It is to lie to yourself and create an illusion that purpose exists where there is none.

Heloin wrote:

Sundiata wrote:Life is good but it would be nice to live in heaven.

West Virginia is very pretty.

Bah, it's close. Not like the real thing.

Heloin wrote:

Sundiata wrote:Life is good but it would be nice to live in heaven.

West Virginia is very pretty.

I prefer Hawaii.

It's literally in my sig right now.

Nakena wrote:It's literally in my sig right now.

I don't see what synthwave has to do with this.

Valrifell wrote:

Nakena wrote:It's literally in my sig right now.

I don't see what synthwave has to do with this.

We can change that though and get some G A L A C T I C L E B E N S R A U M

Drain earth of resources, big war, everybody dead.