Like all living things, parasites have two main purposes: to survive and to procreate. A parasite probably does not conceive itself as being a parasite. Only the host may feel the imposition. Some parasites, of course, cause the death of their hosts, one way or another.
There are those who see man as a parasite gradually dooming the host, Earth, as a place on which to survive.
Conservation, anyone?
I thought mankind was considered a virus? My Gawd, we have upgraded to the parasite level... Woot-woot!
Nope, viruses aren't animals and some don't even consider them to be living things.
Melissa - my understanding is different. I agree that viruses are on the edge of living/non-living. But, if alive, they fit the definition of animal - they don't photosynthesize, and live off other living things. But definitions change over time.
Animals must be multicellular, eukaryotic organisms that go through a developmental period. I think you are thinking of parasites. Viruses are not even really living things.
You guys are still talking about viruses? I was using sarcasm when I commented about it; perhaps you need to study satirical subjects, instead...
Hi Insane - We viruses are too dumb to understand sarcasm!
Well said, Copper Man, I can't put it better so I will pass on this one.
Insane Mundane, you're right. Mankind is a parasite. It practically feeds on all other creatures in this world, not symbiotically but parasitically.
A parasite exploits another organism for the purpose of staying alive.
Population control! Yucky things like parasites, bacteria, viruses etc... are needed for controlling populations.
You sound like a Globalist... I'm sure you're not - I'm just pointing out a fact.
hahaha! Not at all, but it does seem so, right? Before medicine arrived the population was something like 2 billion and then it shot up exponentially all because of medicine. So ye probably for population control
A parasite is an Earth-borne life-form that can be an animal, a plant, a fungus, a bacteria - or even a virus (which is not even technically alive according to the standard text-book definition of 'alive/living').
And, just like all other life-forms, its sole goal (or its purpose, as it were) is to survive, thrive, reproduce, and gradually evolve, genetically.
Despite of how it might seem, a parasite's purpose is NEVER to kill or harm the host!
If I am right there are parasites that prey on wasps. They lay eggs in the wasp which hatch inside and eat the wasp from the inside then break out to find a new wasp.
Killing or harming the host depends on whether the parasite can reproduce first
You are absolutely right. I was thinking my answer over and came to that same conclusion. What makes a parasite 'parasitic' is that it doesn't concern itself with the well-being of the host. The primary drive is to procreate at any cost...
Putting together what I see here: Purpose always is in a context.
The parasite's own purpose is to survive, even at a cost to its host.
The ecosystem creates a purpose for parasites - prevention of over-population by a species that is not being regulated by a carnivore above it on the food chain.
Human civilization, as a whole, is currently operating in a parasitic way in relation to Gaia, the living planet Earth. This is because we think and live on a survival level. Each human being who learns to think on a level and live of cooperation (commonly called Love) creates an expression of human life that is not parasitic, but symbiotic. If all of humankind learns to do this, then the resulting Gaia-human system will be a whole greater than the sum of its parts. That will be beautiful when it happens. Till the, we can each make it happen in our own lives.
Yes, purpose as if a parasite had a brain. Does my question look out from its perspective or like everything on this Earth, we define purpose? The question is philosophical and analitical.
A brain is not the issue. Epistemologically, purpose is related to function, and functional result. Any system can be seen as having a purpose. A parasite is a system within a larger pair-system and an even larger ecosystem. 3 levels of purpose.
What is the purpose of any life form---------------------------?
Some parasites kills other parasites too. Everything has a role in this world to sustain and maintain equilibrium.
1. Food for other animals.
2. Eat dead cells of animals
But mostly parasites have more negative effects.
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