Today, I have been deep into researching my I-Search topic, making interesting (and often disturbing) discoveries, and refining/revising my argument and thesis. The initial question that has been confounding me is just how should I be framing this paper? Should I be outlining a scenario for how the world might end? Arguing for an apocalypse? Justifying it? Trying to dismiss it? I know that my focus is on voluntary extinction, but how should I be confronting it? Weighing its pros and cons? Explaining why it is such a fantastic idea for us all to follow the dodo bird (I don't think it is)? I have been struggling with these broad questions, but with each hour of research, each new source discovered, each new angle on the issue investigated, I can see that amorphous blot on the horizon getting clearer. Slowly.
This is a difficult topic for me tackle: willful destruction. The milder voices supporting this argument are advocating birth control, a responsible end to procreation, while the more extreme ones are calling for mass suicide (by the way, if you have the opportunity to visit the website of the Church of Euthanasia: DON'T! SERIOUSLY!). My grandfather died last year which has inspired me to delve deeper into my family history, and, while I have no children and no current plans to have any in the perceivable future, the idea of a 100% end to procreation, whole bloodlines, families, dynasties, nations disappearing off the face of the Earth willfully is quite upsetting.
And one thing that has been troubling me is a more philosophical question. It's kind of like the old conundrum of "If a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" but instead the question is: if the world goes on, but there are no intelligent, sentient lifeforms around to mark it passing either on quartz watches or scrawled on cave walls, does any of it matter? Sure, dinosaurs and other lifeforms existed long before us, and others will after, but wasn't it always in the cards for humanity to show up one day? I guess this strays into the realm of religious, the argument between intelligent design and random chance, and I probably will not be coming to a solution anytime soon. But it's definitely something I have been confronting while trying to imagine a world without us.
This post has been more for my benefit than for anyone else, but I just thought I'd share...
I think your topic is very interesting. As you are researching why people think that willful destruction is a good idea, you might want to look at different groups of people who have believed similarly in the past. One in particular that comes to my head is the group with Jim Jones in Guyana in South America, where more than 900 people, including children, committed suicide from drinking a laced drink. I know that you are researching this particular group, but I think that it might be helpful if you look back at history to see that people have thought like this before and look at why they thought this way and what they believed. Good luck with your research.
ReplyDeleteI really like your ideas on your I-search subject. I loved your comparison of the tree falling with no humans on Earth. And I must say, the thought of no families continuing grow is a really scary thought. Even for those who families and children are not in their cards, it's families and new life that bring joy to many peoples' lives. With your last sentence saying you doubt you'll find the answer soon, I agree, but you have the possibility to think of endless ideas with your mind!
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