> pinnacle of nature's great evolutionary process
> bunch of bastards to most life on Earth
seem almost synonymous, unfortunately.
> bunch of bastards to most life on Earth
seem almost synonymous, unfortunately.
This is what I disagree with. Evolution is not a process that is maximizing anything. What survives just survives. We got stuck in a feedback loop that optimized brain size for evolutionary fitness, but we're stuck in a tiny fractal corner of a corner of a corner of the entire space of biological life. E.g. Tardigrades (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade) are extremely successful at survival in a huge variety of conditions, and very stable over millions of years without a lot of genetic drift. Similar for cockroaches. We don't consider these "pinnacles" of evolution just because of our arbitrary value system. Yet cockroaches (and all insects, really) serve extremely important jobs in ecosystems which would collapse without them.
Humanism is blind and immoral, IMO.
That's a judgement that a human can make only because our species reached the pinnacle of evolution.
You seem to be implying that evolution is a process with some ideal, perfect outcome that can be achieved, or you're just being sarcastic. I can't tell but both are silly.
Whales are the largest animals alive today, so perhaps they're the pinnacle of evolution.
Implying there's a "pinnacle" of evolution implies evolution has a goal or intended outcome, which it does not.
Humans are the most advanced species? By which metric? Intelligence? Perhaps. Strength? No. Sheer numbers? No. Impact on the environment? Arguably (plants, though not a single species, would probably win that). You might as well say we're the most advanced species because we're the only one that cares enough to give ourselves a trophy for it.
Evolution is not a game to be won nor a process with an end or a goal. We weren't here before, we're here now, and we likely won't be here forever. We're ephemeral.