What would you consider the “irony of all ironies”? | Hacker News Reader

What would you consider the “irony of all ironies”?

We, the human civilization, have shown amazing capacity for understanding the world around us, and when necessary building some amazing technologies to observe and study those things we can't observe directly. We have built tools to view and gain understanding of the world at the atomic level. We have built tools to view and gain understanding of the farthest reaches of the universe.

Would it not be the irony of all ironies if human civilization collapsed because we failed to truly understand human nature?

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I don't see that as ironic...the more time we spend looking outward, the less time we have to spend looking at ourselves. I'm not sure that human civilization will collapse out of a lack of understanding of human nature, but rather an inability to prevent human nature from succumbing to its baser instinct to destroy itself.

I think it's ironic if you consider the fact that all of the "outward observations" are ultimately meant to advance human civilization. If human civilization collapsed what was the point? I don't think anyone (99.9%?) is doing any of this simply as a means for other civilizations to eventually discover our failed civilization and the knowledge we managed to obtain...

all of the "outward observations" are ultimately meant to advance human civilization

That may be a flawed premise. In an increasingly capitalist society, many of these "outward observations" were done in the pursuit of corporate profits (not the advancement of human civilization), often with the full knowledge of their destructive potential. The recent opioid crisis is a perfect example of corporations actively manufacturing a product with deadly and addictive properties, while doctors where offering it as a cure.

I think you read a little bit too much into my claim. Obviously I'm not saying "all outward observations that ever occurred".

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