How do you justify contributing to humanity?

I`m going to die eventually, so i would rather live my life trying to make a better world for future progeny than living a life of self-cenyeted stagnation

I don't need to justify something I don't do lmao

>pointless ultimately
Yes, but we're here for now and we happen to be beings that want to live (AND thrive).

It's not better or worse to be organized or disorganized matter. But as long as the conditions exist for matter to be organized, it will want to stay that way. Nothing anyone does will change that (short of, say, intentionally scorching the Earth. But then, who is to say we're the only life that exists?).

Having said that, HOW you prefer to thrive in the world is your choice. People who help others DO get something out of it. They get self-satisfaction. This sense of self-satisfaction may be more pleasurable to them than any hedonistic pursuit. I firmly believe that for people like Musk, it genuinely is. But you would have to be him to know that for sure, wouldn't you?

It never occured to you that he might be doing what he wants? That advancing projects for general good or trying to get to Mars might be what he derives pleasure and satisfaction from? Apparently it's too abstract for you that someone's "doing what you want" is an ambitious project that requires effort instead of just fukkin them bitches.

how do you justify living off the contributions of people who did just that?

I guess things are just going to have to get bad enough, and painful enough that you consider another way. It's an old story.

>justify contributing to humanity
WTF is this supposed to mean,
if anything?

Because he isn't sleeping in the assbly line for the world's benefit. He gets a high from achieving and things,. As do most successful people who own large businesses or discover new theorems. They are merely trying to maximise expected utility.
Curiosity and sense of achievement are responsible for most progress in my opinion, both of which are inherently selfish.

Humanity is the last, best hope, to continue the story of life on Earth beyond this fragile biosphere. It is unlikely it has the time left within it to develop another species capable of said, especially since any event that wipes humanity out to make room for said, will likely prevent any complex life forms from rising up in turn.

Granted, if that means nothing to you - if the survival of life itself is a spook - then you're too nihilistic to justify making that post.

I just do science for the same reason I do sport, I like doing it and I like the feeling of improving yourself.

I don't give a shit about human society and even if I did, I don't think advancing science does it any good.

Best post so far.

Well, i make sure scientists don't die from tumours, that's for one

Plastic surgery

Actually you really need to justify any contributions especially those which were made with the intention to harden humanity's grip on dominance since this is racist against other species either terrestrial or extraterrestrial.

>justifying contributing to humaniting
wat

I don't.
I'm a woman.

Fuck contributing to humanity. I do what I want.

You will enjoy the universal benefits as well if they ever come to fruition. If you are able to create better commmunication technology for example, you will also be able to communicate with more people that have it. or if a new medicine is developed, it's also one more you can use for your own health.

The selfish approach is more rewarding, in the end though if that was all we would ever do, we would be a selfish boar eating the remaining food in the ground and could do nothing about unpleasant climate or soil property. In other words, the potential is never increased if you only try to cash out in an easy way.

of course, in the real world the impact of one individual is so limited that it's almost meaningless if you contributed or not. As a society though, the contributing factor is definitely valued.

pretty much this

OP clearly has no idea why people do science in the first place

I just want to be part of something greater than myself, hopefully help the world a bit. I also enjoy the stable work. The two intersect.

My business doesn't justify so much but I'm donate most of my personal profit to life extension research. Hopefully that'll yield some serious breakthrough in a couple years

>can do anything
>want to go to Mars
>can't go
>making way to to Mars with a Tesla

1. he is just as selfish and vain and concerned with his legacy as you. Contributing to the general good is just your skewed perception speaking, aka merely a side effect

2. you can't do everything yourself, cooperative is more capable than competitive. It would be nice to have higher standards of living with a longer expectancy. It is just fair to opt in to society and collaborate with others to achieve it.

>How do you justify contributing to humanity?

Same way you justify doing nothing: It's what I want.