What Are Humanity's Greatest Redeeming Traits or Achievements?

[Sunstone]

I think it's obvious that human nature is in some ways pretty screwed up, but do humans have any redeeming qualities? That is, do you think we have any traits or achievements that make up for, say, everything from our cognitive biases to our genocidal warfare? If so, what are they?

For me, love, compassion, the arts and sciences go a long way towards redeeming us as a species. I still wish we were descended from elephants, though. Elephants seem to have more sense than primates. But what about you? What do you think?

 

[Lyndon]

I think humankind's greatest accomplishment to date, is that they are still alive, and have not completely destroyed themselves and the planet, YET. I hope this good fortune continues for a long long time, as I happen to like people, a lot. And animals.

 

[Bunyip]

Best traits: Curiosity, compassion, creativity.
Greatest achievements: Landing on the moon, democracy, ethics.

 

[Nietzsche]

I think it's obvious that human nature is in some ways pretty screwed up, but do humans have any redeeming qualities? That is, do you think we have any traits or achievements that make up for, say, everything from our cognitive biases to our genocidal warfare? If so, what are they?

For me, love, compassion, the arts and sciences go a long way towards redeeming us as a species. I still wish we were descended from elephants, though. Elephants seem to have more sense than primates. But what about you? What do you think?

Who's definition of "greatest redeeming traits or achievements"?

 

[Lyndon]

Your own, I believe.

 

[Sunstone]

Who's definition of "greatest redeeming traits or achievements"?

Aristotle's.


Just kidding. Each individual respondent's, of course.

 

[Nietzsche]

Your own, I believe.

Aristotle's.

Just kidding. Each individual respondent's, of course.

Then I'm going to have a bit of fun.

Achievements-
Moon Landing, period. This is not an opinion, this is an objective statement of fact, and if you disagree, you are either lying to yourself or are utterly hopeless to begin with.

And then, in the impossibly distant, but still good remaining ones;

Artificial substances, especially the ones that do fun things to the brain & nervous system. Those are great. Makes it much easier to tolerate, you know, everything else in existence.
Conquering Nature is pretty cool too, I like that.
Music. Not all of it, but most of it is at least decent. Wagner, Rammstein, Osbourne, Bach, Queen, Beethoven, Andrew W. K, those are the ones off the top of my head.

Let's go on to traits. Achievements are hard to place down, because they aren't really collective things. Not everyone on the planet had a hand in landing on the Moon, for instance. But traits, we've all(or most of all of us, the fun ones anyway) have these;

1. Being ready, willing & able to do anything, anything, if couched in the right terms or the wheels are greased just so. Dubai, Bangkok, Prague, Moscow, Hong Kong. If you want to see what we're really like, go there and see what(or who! =D ) you can buy. That's my favorite human thing ever.

2. What we'll do without being told, but if no one is watching*.

3. *Whatever it was that first popped in your head when I said that.

 

[Laika]

Humans redeeming qualities; a capacity for courage and self-sacrifice in the face of all the worst mankind has to offer.
There will be plenty of others, but I think as recent examples these people deserve a mention.
Vasili Arkhipov One of the men who prevented nuclear war in 1962
Stanislav Petrov who prevented a nuclear war in 1983
The Firemen at the Chernobyl Nuclear reactor
people who helped Jews during the Holocaust
And a lesser mention to August Landmesser for this.

 

[BSM1]

I think it's obvious that human nature is in some ways pretty screwed up, but do humans have any redeeming qualities? That is, do you think we have any traits or achievements that make up for, say, everything from our cognitive biases to our genocidal warfare? If so, what are they?

For me, love, compassion, the arts and sciences go a long way towards redeeming us as a species. I still wish we were descended from elephants, though. Elephants seem to have more sense than primates. But what about you? What do you think?

As compared to what? Or whom?

 

[JRMcC]

For me, love, compassion, the arts and sciences go a long way towards redeeming us as a species.

You said "arts" but I would say our ability imagine in general, and I would put a great deal of emphasis on it. There are things to be admired in other animals, but our capacity for complex language puts above all the other because of all the possibilities it opens up.

 

[Monk Of Reason]

I think it's obvious that human nature is in some ways pretty screwed up, but do humans have any redeeming qualities? That is, do you think we have any traits or achievements that make up for, say, everything from our cognitive biases to our genocidal warfare? If so, what are they?

For me, love, compassion, the arts and sciences go a long way towards redeeming us as a species. I still wish we were descended from elephants, though. Elephants seem to have more sense than primates. But what about you? What do you think?

Mathematics
Agriculture
Government
Language
Written language
Philosophy
Logic
Architecture
Empiricism
Ethics.

In no particular order. Though Language, mathematics and logic are three that gave rise to the rest.

 

[leibowde84]

I think it's obvious that human nature is in some ways pretty screwed up, but do humans have any redeeming qualities? That is, do you think we have any traits or achievements that make up for, say, everything from our cognitive biases to our genocidal warfare? If so, what are they?

For me, love, compassion, the arts and sciences go a long way towards redeeming us as a species. I still wish we were descended from elephants, though. Elephants seem to have more sense than primates. But what about you? What do you think?

The telescope and live music.

 

[paragon]

"In our tenure on this planet we've accumulated dangerous evolutionary baggage — propensities for aggression and ritual, submission to leaders, hostility to outsiders — all of which puts our survival in some doubt. But we've also acquired compassion for others, love for our children and desire to learn from history and experience, and a great soaring passionate intelligence — the clear tools for our continued survival and prosperity." - Carl Sagan

 

[McBell]

I think it's obvious that human nature is in some ways pretty screwed up, but do humans have any redeeming qualities? That is, do you think we have any traits or achievements that make up for, say, everything from our cognitive biases to our genocidal warfare? If so, what are they?

For me, love, compassion, the arts and sciences go a long way towards redeeming us as a species. I still wish we were descended from elephants, though. Elephants seem to have more sense than primates. But what about you? What do you think?

Diversity

 

[McBell]

Diversity

followed by adaptability.

 

[bobhikes]

Greatest trait compassion, no other species on earth has as much compassion for others as humans. We care about everything.

Greatest achievement has to be science, even though its not perfect, it has allowed us to accomplish so much and builds upon itself seemingly without limit.