We clearly out competed a lot of species. We are by some measure the most successful species on the planet, depending how you measure. In a pure biomass sense we are not, but in terms of the share of resources we have repurposed for our own growth we are.
Fuji, you make the extinction of other species sound like a positive thing. Given that often species are dependent upon others, directly or indirectly, then the loss of species can only be bad for the Earth's biosystem.We clearly out competed a lot of species. We are by some measure the most successful species on the planet, depending how you measure. In a pure biomass sense we are not, but in terms of the share of resources we have repurposed for our own growth we are.
Fuji, you make the extinction of other species sound like a positive thing.
Given that often species are dependent upon others, directly or indirectly, then the loss of species can only be bad for the Earth's biosystem.
It is the inevitable consequence of our success, and our success is a positive thing. Whenever an invasive species transforms an ecosystem there are losers, and we are the ultimate invasive species, owing to adaptations (like language, tools, intelligence in general) that make us more effective than competing species.
Bad is a relative term, extinction is the normal consequence of one adaptation beating out others. Remember that we ARE the biosystem, we are part of it, our success and transformation of the biosystem is part of the system.
Change in the biosystem is good or bad depending on whether that change benefits or harms us, and we certainly benefited from the industrial revolution.
That said we certainly should manage this process to ensure that we benefit from the natural resources, including other species, and reckless destruction of ecosystems for no good reason robs us of the future opportunity to exploit them.
So we should be prudent managers, but we shouldn't regret the industrial revolution, the agricultural revolution, etc., those are our successes. We are disruptive, and being disruptive isn't a bad thing.
Cockroaches will outlive us all.
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We have to get back to our roots. ...
Our roots have been based on killing and destroying anything if it gives us an advantage. From the earliest of times human have killed species and stolen from our neighbours. Human nature hasn't changed. In fact our instincts have led us to what we are. Oh, and our roots included a life span of around 20 years.