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Related Concept Videos

Biodiversity and Human Values01:24

Biodiversity and Human Values

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Human civilization relies on biodiversity in many ways. Sudden changes in species biodiversity result in environmental changes that can modify weather patterns and therefore human civilizations.
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Requirements for Human Life01:26

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The Earth and its atmosphere have provided humans with air, water, and food, but these are not the only requirements for survival. Humans also require a specific range of temperature and pressure that the Earth and its atmosphere provides.
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Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...
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Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the...
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The Fossil Record02:56

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The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
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Threats to Biodiversity01:50

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There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...
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The Bradford Hill criteria serve as guidelines for establishing causative links in epidemiological research. Beyond Strength, Consistency, Specificity, and Temporality, key criteria also include Biological Gradient, Plausibility, Coherence, Experiment, and Analogy. These principles assist scientists in assessing the likelihood of causation in complex biological contexts. Below is a summary of these concepts:
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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
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What Justifies a Future with Humans in It?

Timothy F Murphy1

  • 1tmurphy@uic.edu.

Bioethics
|September 27, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Philosophical debates on human perpetuation are explored. While some argue for extinction due to suffering, others defend a moral obligation to continue humanity, though this duty may be overridden by beneficence.

Area of Science:

  • Moral Philosophy
  • Ethics of Existence
  • Future Studies

Background:

  • Antinatalist arguments suggest human extinction is preferable due to inherent suffering.
  • Alternative views propose a moral obligation to perpetuate humanity, citing the value of human life.
  • Richard Kraut's defense of human perpetuation is examined.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the philosophical arguments for and against human perpetuation.
  • To analyze the moral underpinnings of the obligation to continue the human species.
  • To explore the role of beneficence and the value of human life in this debate.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of ethical theories concerning human existence and extinction.
  • Examination of arguments presented by antinatalist commentators and proponents of human perpetuation.
Keywords:
enhancementethicsfuturegoodnesshumanity

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  • Conceptual exploration of beneficence and its implications for future generations.

    • Main Results:

    • The defense of a general moral obligation to perpetuate humanity is found to be only a prima facie case.
    • Considerations of beneficence can, and in some cases should, override the duty to perpetuate the human species.
    • The intrinsic goods of human life do not inherently justify their own perpetuation.

    Conclusions:

    • The exercise of beneficence might, paradoxically, justify human extinction if it leads to enhanced descendant well-being.
    • A morally obligatory and strictly human future remains philosophically challenging to defend.
    • Efforts to prevent 'Fateful Catastrophes' are morally desirable to protect existing good lives.