Interesting thought on viruses

[Phaedrus]

This quote is from the National Geographic mini-series The Hot Zone:

You might say the Earth's immune system has recognized the presence of its most destructive pathogen -- humans.

[Thumpalumpacus]

... and global warming is the fever?

[GenesisNemesis]

Nah, everything's just mindless bullshit without any particular plan. 

To say humans are pathogens and Earth has an immune system is to suggest life has an inherent value which it does not (99% of all life which has ever existed has gone extinct). Nature is a far more destructive force. Unfortunate, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I think the quote is a metaphor, rather than a detailed claim.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

But we can still wig out about it, right?

[GenesisNemesis]

I think the quote is a metaphor, rather than a detailed claim.

It doesn't make sense as a metaphor though, where was the Earth's immune system with 99% of all other life that went extinct?

[Thumpalumpacus]

I think the quote is a metaphor, rather than a detailed claim.

It doesn't make sense as a metaphor though, where was the Earth's immune system with 99% of all other life that went extinct?

I missed the part where he said the metaphorical immune system was the only cause of extinction.

[GenesisNemesis]

I think the quote is a metaphor, rather than a detailed claim.

It doesn't make sense as a metaphor though, where was the Earth's immune system with 99% of all other life that went extinct?

I missed the part where he said the metaphorical immune system was the only cause of extinction.

Ok, but what do we do with viruses? We eliminate them. All the metaphor does really is inspire feelings of misanthropy. Imo, not very helpful.

[Unsapien]

Life is a Shakespearian play where everybody dies at the end, the earth is just the stage. The stage doesn't give a shit what the plays about, or how it ends.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Ok, but what do we do with viruses? We eliminate them. All the metaphor does really is inspire feelings of misanthropy. Imo, not very helpful.

I think it does more than that, but it may that he's simply expressing his pessimism about our future with the metaphor.

[Phaedrus]

I never understood people's aversion to misanthropy. There is a certain beauty to be appreciated of the darkness.

[SYZ]

There are 5,000 currently known virus species with unique DNA/RNA on the planet.  There are 8.7 million different forms of life
on the planet, also with unique DNA/RNA.  So any claimant would be suggesting humans and animals and other life forms are
viruses too?  Too totally far-fetched, and science-fictioney.

BTW, only in America would you find someone named Christopher abbreviating his name to the absurd "Topher".  In the rest
of the civilised world, he'd be "Chris".    Fuck me.