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why do we seem to care
if a singular thought process is nothing more than a chemical reaction that occurs within the walls of our skull then what is so special about them? why do thoughts or feelings hold relevance they're just chemicals. and all we are is an even larger conglomeration of chemicals then why do we hold value on human life? is the chemical composition that makes my body more important that the thousands of other organisms that die every time i take a breath? why should my choice in the regards to the span of my life hold relevance to anyone?
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This is a really deep question you have asked. There are some different ways to answer this question depending on your reason for asking. something I would like to know before I answer
you.
If your reason is for purely intellectual reasons most of the question can be answered with available on-line research.
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Well, this isn't something I've got a whole lot of knowledge on, so this is all opinion.
They're not special, we've just come to believe they are. In my opinion, it's like asking why we think that we're any better than animals. There's only two things (that I can think of) that separate us from animals; language and reason. Even though animals do converse in their own verbal and body language, we think we're a lot more significant than they are because we communicate almost anything through language. As with reason, who knows what animals think? Maybe they do contemplate the many sufferings and complexities of life in theirs and our worlds. We just like to think that compared to them, we can rationalise our actions/existence/possibilities of the universe, and can understand things better than they ever will.
Culturally, we think things are important because of ideologies. These ideas that are continuously being changed and redistributed throughout society that come to be known as mainstream beliefs. One could say that we think our thoughts and feelings are so important because without it we're really nothing; life means nothing; that there would be no reason for religion, no afterlife. So, to believe that we're so special, especially these parts in us (thoughts and feelings) that are meant to make us 'unique' from the animal kingdom, is really trying to keep society stable and in order. If we thought we were nothing better than animals, maybe the social order would turn to chaos, maybe we'd all die out.
So, the span of your life holds relevance to other people because we've developed these emotions and thought processes as a response to continuously changing cultural expectations and understandings.
There's also the idea with thought and reasoning that we are far superior in this sense to animals. By focusing so much of our energy into intelligence and education, we kind of stunt our physical growth. So mentally we continue to evolve, becoming more and more intelligent, but physically we stay the same (or possibly devolve). Animals, in a physical sense, are superior to us. Most animals in a one on one fight with a human are gonna win, but our thought processes allow us to create traps and hunting strategies that could allow us to win.
But, there could always be some unknown force or power out there that makes us more significant than any other creature. Who knows.
Really interesting question, would love to see what other people think :)
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