Do Humans have more in Common with Gods or Ants.

I can squash an ant, so that makes me it's god.

But god can not squash me. So therefore, my idea of a god would be to not exist for that ant.

And I do exist.

So no.

What?

Ants with free will and relatively powerless

sn0rch
I can squash an ant, so that makes me it's god.

But god can not squash me. So therefore, my idea of a god would be to not exist for that ant.

And I do exist.

So no.

What?

But what IS a god?!

If an single Ant realised itself to be God would it seek to elevate its fellow ants or alternatively rule over them as the one God ant.

What is this? A philosophy center for ants?

reply to post by Aphorism


or Gods take your pick

AthlonSavage
If an single Ant realised itself to be God would it seek to elevate its fellow ants or alternatively rule over them as the one God ant.

I think the answer to that is obvious. Should any creature become a god, it will seek to secure its own momentum before it works on that of others. We did not get this far by being suicidal, and that means being responsible with assets. If you have an opportunity to amass great profit with little to no effort, what would you do? Seriously. Especially if it was something you really, really wanted or needed. But then, someone is going to want to take that away from you. Someone is willing to kill you for what you have. Beat you to death for your can of beans. Because that's survival. And it would be foolhardy to assume that there's no one bigger and stronger than you are. Even if there isn't now, there will always be someone trying to get there. Someone struggling to topple you from your ivory throne so they can sit there and grow fat on the blood of their enemies...or whatever they find palatable.

So yes, if an ant were to find itself in possession of power greater than that of, say, a thousand of its fellow ants, you can rest assured that it will rule over them. Because that's what animals do. The strongest are the best. They get the kills, they get the spoils, and their children get the future.

reply to post by AfterInfinity

So yes, if an ant were to find itself in possession of power greater than that of, say, a thousand of its fellow ants, you can rest assured that it will rule over them. Because that's what animals do. The strongest are the best. They get the kills, they get the spoils, and their children get the future.

I agree look at North Korea as an extreme example.

From a material point of view, humans are far more like ants because we share 1 key common feature: we are known/proven to exist within our scientific taxonomy. In robust/myriad forms, no less. Such cannot be said about any gods.

reply to post by AthlonSavage


Gods.

Humans and ants share many characteristics on the cultural and societal level, but humans invented their gods in their own image, making our relationship to them infinitely more impressive, as they mirror human situations. While ants might form super-colonies, embrace animal farming, class division, and slavery, a god like Odin is based on all of our strengths and flaws.

An ant will not become a wanderer, or rise to power as a military general, nor will said ant sacrifice for knowledge. Yet a human, and Odin specifically, would do all of the above. An ant will not invent a weapon or tool, with which it defends other ants against encroaching enemies. A human however, and deities like Ninurta, Thor, and Lugh, would do just that. Inventing tools and weapons with which we protect ourselves, our property, and our families.

We share infinitely more with gods than ants, as gods are conscious reflections of ourselves. Not that ants aren't interesting in their own right. There's plenty of really thought-provoking information about ant-human connections floating around out there.


~ Wandering Scribe

reply to post by Wandering Scribe


Ants do have queens and u suspect an inner cabal that attend to her constantly. and I have seen a program which showed how ants build super underground complexes, which are feats of engineering and intently can cut and shape, leaves and use them as boats across a river, and use other natural materials to build bridges. Do they sound more human to you now?

reply to post by Wandering Scribe


I feel we were better off when we were modeling our idols after forces of nature, rather than ourselves. But are the complications of honor and love and sorrow worth the knowledge they yield? Do you think an ant would choose to be human if given the option? Would the ant embrace such a transformation in perception, having never faced the trials of mind and heart? Do you think it would value such a chaotic experience? Grander is not always better, and I suspect there is virtue in simplicity. Take the earthworm for example. The earthworm has the perfect relationship with the world. It never does anything without giving back. Its entire life and death benefits the soil and the plants. I would say the worm is more godlike than humans. But I think before we can learn to be godly, we must be crushed. We must be reminded of what power does to the unwary and unpracticed. We have to break a leg before we can learn to fly. Its a shame because we step on ants every day. Who is going to step on us and remind us what it is to be the little guy?

I don't know much about ants. Can they perform CPR on another ant? Do they rush to another's burning ant hill to save lives? God is the one who gives you life and takes it. I think only man comes close to that.

reply to post by MOMof3


Drown an anthill and you can watch them save their children. And remember, capacity is not the same as inclination. For every child saved from a fire, twenty more die from disease and starvation.

He who is not an ant throw the first thunderbolt!

reply to post by AfterInfinity


Yes, but ants have not progressed in millions of years, correct? They do not have the intelligence or means to lift off the planet. What we may have in common with ants, or use to, is the common good.

MOMof3
reply to post by AfterInfinity

 

Yes, but ants have not progressed in millions of years, correct? They do not have the intelligence or means to lift off the planet. What we may have in common with ants, or use to, is the common good.

Neither have cockroaches, and they can survive a nuclear blast.

reply to post by AfterInfinity


Truly? I did not know that. I learned something today. We should study why that is and see if we can apply it to our own survival.

reply to post by AthlonSavage


Ants.

Gods don't exist, but ants do exist.

So, what do I win?

reply to post by NorEaster


You win an Ant prize