What we do to lab rats is exactly what is being done to us.

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   paradigmsearchposted 11 years ago

   As to the entity or entities that is/are doing this to us, I cannot even begin to speculate.
   
   However, I can say that the experimenter(s) have the same regard for us as we have for the rats, guinea pigs, rhesus monkeys, and other animals that we, ourselves, experiment on.
   
   It's just the way it is... And there is not a thing we can do about it.
   
   Sorry.

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      Motown2Chitownposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      But have you given any thought to the intentions behind what we do to lab animals?  I know that some of what they go through is heinous, but it's generally with the intention of bringing improvement to the lives of humanity.  Researching for treatment of diseases and such...
      
      Is that really such a horrible thing?

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         Emile Rposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I had to laugh when I read this. Because, yes; it would be a horrible thing to think something light years above our intellect was using us to better its life. It's bad enough that we do it to  rats. Although, it could be worse. At least we aren't farm animals waiting to be eaten.

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            wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Are you sure of that then? 

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            Motown2Chitownposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            It is a fairly cold examination of the whole thing.  But, it's pretty much the point of the thread I think.  And it's always a possibility I suppose.  I have one atheist friend who suggests that if indeed the world was created, who's to say it wasn't created by a graduate student in Physics in some other dimension as a sort of grand experiment.
            
            Ultimately no one knows and that's the sad, sad reality of it.  We'll spend the rest of our lives figuring out how we fit into the universe and never give a moments thought to what we're doing in our own little corner of it.

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               Emile Rposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               I find it odd that anyone would seriously entertain such a thought. We have no concrete evidence in the existence of God, no way of determining how reality began; but to suggest it is the result of a kid's science experiment somewhat belittles the whole experience. And to seriously consider our situation comparable to the plight of a caged animal whose existence hinges on the details of the experiment at hand is equally incomprehensible.  I honestly can't imagine the thought process which would end with that conclusion. What is being done to us? What are we victims of which can only be explained by the assumption that an unseen force is somehow using us?

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                  Motown2Chitownposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  I don't know how seriously he actually entertains the thought, but he does.  And for those folks out there (unlike you) who are convinced, and can't be unconvinced, that there is a benevolent higher power behind the universe, it's a matter of ultimately feeling as though there's no purpose to life - or at least feeling that they can't figure out what it is.  It's a sign of frustration and bitterness and a way of throwing up one's hands and asking what the hell the point is, you know?

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      Brenda Durhamposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Ah, but the entity I think you're referring to..........died for humans.
      Quite a difference between Him and a scientist in a lab.

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   Rochelle Frankposted 11 years ago

   So what we think is a universe is really a petri dish?

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      wildernessposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Or a maze.  A really big one where we took one step and retreated to sit placidly and think some more about it all.
      
      Makes you wonder if we'll ever reach the end of the maze and, if we do, what we'll find there.  Life?  Death?  Nirvana?  Hell?  Or just another door to yet another maze...

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   paradigmsearchposted 11 years ago

   Submit.
   
   Acknowledge it and be done with it.
   
   The question is what to do with it.

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   psycheskinnerposted 11 years ago

   I gave my lab rats chocolate, had them try to solve cognitive puzzles, and then retired them to a big cage on my deck.
   
   So, I'm okay with this deal.

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   paradigmsearchposted 11 years ago

   When I started this thread, I figured it would turn into the usual R&P shambles. It didn't. Bless your hearts.
   
   Some random thoughts...
   
   This particular lab rat is generally a happy camper.
   
   Not naming names, but I find some of the posts here truly insightful.
   
   Does one think an afterlife exists for a hamster, a fly, a cat? If not, then it does not exist for us either.
   
   Or does it? And if so, why? What makes us so special?

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      Zelkiiroposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      We invented genocide, guro porn, and clothing stores that harass and turn away unattractive people. Clearly we're shining beacons of the universe.

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