Oscar Wilde looks for superior species; doesn't find one on Skins's island

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2991489

Oh my.

Cyrano (1000+ posts)       Tue Mar-11-08 03:18 PM
Original message
 
If you could ask a more intelligent species one question, what would it be?

I'd like to borrow my answer from Carl Sagan, author of the book "Contact."

There is a scene in the film "Contact" where Jodie Foster is asked, if she were to be chosen to take the trip to meet the beings trying to contact them, what question would she ask?

Her (Carl Sagan's) answer is pure brilliance.

"How did you survive your adolescence?"

Given the status of today's world, I don't know whether or not our species (humans) will survive our adolescence. But you never know.

What do you think? And would you have asked a different question?

tachyon (121 posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 03:21 PM
Response to Original message

1. Didn't see the movie but my first thought was "how did you avoid politics?"

Richard D  (1000+ posts)       Tue Mar-11-08 03:25 PM
Response to Original message

3. I'd stick with Sagan's question . . . 

. . . especially considering how miserably we're doing now.

Glorfindel (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 03:26 PM
Response to Original message

4. How can we stop humanity's insane destruction of the planet RIGHT NOW?

I'd think that would be the most vital question.

Well, the primitives committing mass voluntary suicide would be a good start.

OwnedByFerrets (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 03:30 PM
Response to Reply #4

8. We already know the answer(s) to that question...

the problem is the willingness to implement them.

Yeah, that's the problem; the primitives won't commit mass voluntary suicide.

jody  (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 03:27 PM
Response to Original message

5. Do humans have a soul/spirit that survives the death of the physical body?

GreenPartyVoter  (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 03:27 PM
Response to Original message

6. That was my question too.

jakem  (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 03:32 PM
Response to Original message
 
9. how do you hide the cash trail to the hookers?

Peake  (1000+ posts)       Tue Mar-11-08 03:37 PM
Response to Original message

12. How did you get impeachment back on the table?

Probably by finding a violation of a law, and one doesn't have to be a "superior species" to understand that; one just has to be at an evolved level higher than a primitive.

leftofthedial (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 04:08 PM
Response to Original message

17. how did your species overthrow the capitalists?

Contrary1  (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 05:11 PM
Response to Original message

20. Why am I here?

After 56+ years, I still wonder. Have I already done what I was supposed to do?

And, if not; I really could use a clue. I'm not getting any younger.

Arctic Dave  (179 posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 05:56 PM
Response to Original message

21. I don't have to "ask" the more intelligent species

My wife tells me what the answer is, whether I want to know or not.

Mike03  (1000+ posts)     Tue Mar-11-08 06:20 PM
Response to Original message

27. "What can we do to prevent our own imminent self destruction?" 

And if I had more than one question, I would want to know what it would take for our species to initiate some sort of mass intellectual and spiritual evolution or transcendence.

Klukie  (936 posts)       Tue Mar-11-08 07:24 PM
Response to Original message

32. Does an erection have a conscience?

[Chris_]

They're all so pathetically predictable!

Cindie

[DixieBelle]

Sigh. It's always about partisan politics isn't it??

I can't believe no one said: "Is Al Gore right?" "How bad does it look from out there?"

[Lord Undies]

Peake  (1000+ posts)       Tue Mar-11-08 03:37 PM
Response to Original message

12. How did you get impeachment back on the table?

You could start by asking why it was "taken off the table" last November when little Denny K's resolution to impeach VP Cheney was killed by the democrats when the Republicans started voting for it.    Remember that little drama, Peake?  Remember?

[Carl]

Mike03  (1000+ posts)     Tue Mar-11-08 06:20 PM
Response to Original message

27. "What can we do to prevent our own imminent self destruction?"  

And if I had more than one question, I would want to know what it would take for our species to initiate some sort of mass intellectual and spiritual evolution or transcendence.

You know it is funny,I`m 43 (guess that is middle age) and have heard dire predictions of gloom,doom and our imminent demise for the 40 or so of them that I can remember.

Overpopulation leading to worldwide famine,a coming iceage,nuclear holocost,economic collapse and so on.
None of them have come close to coming true.

I am not worried about this one either.

[Duke Nukum]

Contrary1  (1000+ posts)      Tue Mar-11-08 05:11 PM
Response to Original message

20. Why am I here?

After 56+ years, I still wonder. Have I already done what I was supposed to do?

And, if not; I really could use a clue. I'm not getting any younger.

Very telling of the DUmmies in general.  If one has not discovered their purpose in life by 50, I would say they haven't given enough attention and contemplation to the question.

And if a group of people have no idea of what their purpose in life is, why do they think they have any right to tell the rest of us what to do?

Here's a clue, DUmmies:  The earth is fine.  The earth isn't in need of saving.  If the earth was in that much trouble that it needed the DUmmies to come and save it, there would be no hope.  If the earth was in so much trouble it needed the best human minds to save it, there would probably be no hope.  Don't try and save the world, the world neither wants nor needs you to save it, save yourself.  That would be the best way to serve the world.

[DumbAss Tanker]

How about "How did you get rid of your bottom-feeding, Cheetoid-munching moonbats?"