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Two Paths - Evolution or Extinction |
Early evolution was slower than it is now. Single celled creatures eventually formed colonies, some times with different organisms, and cooperatively evolved into multi-cell organisms. It's not like they decided to try this. It's just that when it happened they survived better. As life became more complex evolution accelerated. New abilities formed that gave individuals the advantage to adapt and survive. Those that didn't adapt became extinct. Eventually life evolved into us.
Evolve or die! There are no other choices.
Evolution has two paths. You either survive or you go extinct. Once you go extinct you are out of the game. In order to stay in the game you have to keep improving because the stuff you eat is evolving to keep you from your next meal, and the stuff that eats you is evolving to make you its next meal.
Additionally as time goes on our environment changes. As we become more successful at cheating death and extending life we have created new problems to be solved. We are overpopulating the planet. We are using up our natural resources. We are changing our environment. We either will have to adapt or we will cease to exist.
Some people wonder if we can just keep things as they are. Freeze technology and social norms and continue on as we are now forever. We can't do that. Eventually this planet will no longer be inhabitable. It might take a long time or a big asteroid that we didn't see coming in time will wipe us out like the dinosaurs. We can, or we soon be able to, protect this planet against asteroid hits. But we live in a violent universe and we are probably here only because we are very lucky and this is a very rare planet. We can not assume that we will be lucky forever and if humanity is going to survive long term we are going to have to be able to be on more than one planet. Evolution is the only option to avoid extinction. That is the rule of the universe. Evolve or die.
Evolution leads to a greater understanding of reality allowing the universe to contemplate itself through us.
If we evolve we will become smarter. We will understand reality better. Since we are the universe evolving in reality it is reality comprehending itself better through us. And we have to expand our comprehension of reality to survive. If we are to continue then we have no other choice.
If however we fail and we become extinct then perhaps on some other planet at some other time another life form will evolve and the universe will comprehend itself through them. And like us they will have the same two paths, evolution or extinction.
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