If the world was destroyed by an asteroid, would any part of history matter?

Question

Everything that has ever happened on Earth seems somewhat relevant to understanding our origins, our nature, and what we can expect in the future. Much of who we are as humans has yet to be discovered. But what if we were somehow destroyed in a sudden way, leaving no trace of our culture, our philosophies, our beliefs. Perhaps only the Mars Landers and satellites would remain as evidence that a civilization existed in our galaxy. What purpose would all of existence have served? What meaning would all of the struggle and acheivement have meant? Are we and everything around us simply souless bioligical consequences of some cosmic accident?

thanks all for the responses. I did not expect to get this high quality of answers. Ive been pondering my own existence since I was a child, and often I think about the triviality of all of my hopes, dreams, and efforts when measured against the infinity of time and the vastness of space. As Ive grown and seen my share of disappointment and success, I have become more disconnected from the normal human routine (having dreams of great accomplishment, wanting more money, hoping to have a family, etc etc.) I literally spend the majority of my days in a pensive state, often confusable with depression or some kind of social disorder. I am generally cynical, insensitive to the day-to-day frustrations and inconveniences of others. In short, I try to be empathetic and well-adjusted, but I know that "society" is guided by a desire to satisfy a higher power or by a delusional sense of self importance. We a curious creatures floating on a rock. I hoped there was something more for a long time.

Answer 1

Why should "meaning" be determined by history?

Doesn't an act have a meaning the moment it is performed?

If I struggle, if I achieve, if I love, there is meaning in this path for me. If, in 300 years, no one remembers that I lived or loved, does that imply that it all was meaningless?

Perhaps it is a mistake to look for meaning on any larger scale than that determined by an individual being. Existence is self-serving. We exist to exist. And that is the only purpose.

Answer 2

Such a bleak question. If an asteroid did hit the earth, then all of mankind's achievements would count for nothing. Whatever life remained would be primitive and basic. Plus, you'd have make the premise that there are other beings in this universe that would take an interest in our 'expired' culture.

You could say we are a biological accident, but who's to say that the Big Bang was also an accident?

Answer 3

If the world was destroyed by an asteroid and all human life became extinct, along with all other life on this planet, then no, it does not matter at all. Life on this planet is but a speck of dust on the timeline of the universe and has about as much effect.
If every trace of human existence, or even Earth existence, was to be erased, the universe in itself would be unmoved and not affected in the least. Just because we feel we are important does not make us so.
If you find mould growing on your wall, do you mourn it after you have removed it? I very much doubt it.
This is how we are as a part of total existence.

Answer 4

It would have all the meaning. It is not the destination but the journey. There is an analogy to life in your question, we are all going to die, at some point, some sooner than later. and 500 years from now, most of us will not be remembered. If it doesn't matter to someone what they accomplished, and what they have done in our life time, then it would be pointless to do anything at all. It is not necessary to leave a legacy that will survive for thousands of years, but the purpose of our existence would be for our own self gratification, and for those close to us. I have been watching my children grow and there is no better satisfaction than seeing them learn and grow from my direction. I don't do it to be remembered, I don't enjoy it to be remembered, it is the moment that I enjoy being part of (in everything in life). Maybe we are the result of some cosmic accident, but the fact remains that we are here, alive and able to accomplish great things. Our origin, and our destination does not matter, what matters is what we do with the moments that we have, for us and those around us with disregard to our future demise.

Answer 5

After existence believer. The existence stress could have learnt something, so not something is misplaced. additionally, because of the fact using Radio Waves, we've leaked transmissions into area, there is now a transmission bubble around the Earth a minimum of a hundred gentle years deep and shifting outwards on the cost of sunshine. notwithstanding if all of us end to be alive; the undeniable fact that we've been right it is in area perpetually.

Answer 6

Look out into the night sky and consider the vastness of the cosmos.

Consider also that there are perhaps 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone and, in turn, the Hubble Telescope has found that there are possibly 125 billion galaxies.

We are flotsam on a speck of rock in the backwater of a galaxy that is itself in a backwater of the cosmos.

I am constantly amazed that anyone can think that we are "significant" in the cosmos or that there is some grand purpose for our existence. We fool ourself that we are "special" by engaging in religion.

We could be wiped out as casually as you kill the bacteria on your toilet seat with a bottle of disinfectant and the cosmos would not bat an eyelid.

Our history, occupying as it does, the last fractions of geological time in our Earth's history is not even significant to our own planet - let alone the cosmos.

Answer 7

As a historian the truth is... No. None of it would matter. Society as a whole is nothing more then an illusion. History chornicles that illusion. Rivers and mountains are simply rivers and mountains. It is we who make them borders and boundries. Going to work, educating yourself, being a decent person, is all pointless when you think about how easily it could all be stripped away as if it never existed in the first place.
However we continue to do these things inspite of this which makes us an spectacular accident as well as a stubborn one.

Answer 8

"If" it was destroyed? You mean "when" its destroyed. It's an astronomical certainty that this event happens every 12 million years or so....btw...we're overdue. We'll have a near miss with apophis in 2036 and a more catastrophic date with destiny with 1950DA in 877 years from now. The ones that are scary are the ones not mapped or the ones coming from behind the sun which cannot be seen until the last moment (In astonomical terms, the last moment will be less than 10 years advance warning.).... sorry...just the facts.

Answer 9

We have lived so it would matter, it would matter that we have loved, laughed and lived and that we had done the best we could as humans. Did it matter that dinosaurs lived? We do not know what we leave behind even if the earth were to be destroyed.

Answer 10

Depends on whether you believe in life after death. If there is an eternal after-life, then it can't be earth-bound, and all of history would be recorded there and would still have significance, but if (as I suspect) there is no "Heaven or Hell" (to give it all a working name), then it would all just disappear into dust and be as meaningful or meaningless as if it had never existed.

I guess...