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Kill All The Humans

2014-02-07 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:27 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Philosophy & meaning (also: Science & nature, Projects) · mode: Personal essay · tags: self promotion, community lore

Hank asks whether humanity, the root of the environmental crisis, is worth it, and concludes that it is: human creation is as marvellous and unique as nature, and we create more than we destroy.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — The environmental crisis and its root in people; would the world be better off without us? Should I feel bad for existing?

  • ★★ Hank says we are in an environmental crisis (climate change, oil spills, dead zones, garbage patches, meltdowns, mass extinction) whose root is people, created to satisfy human needs or whims. — 00:00:00 · climate change
  • ★★★ Hank asks whether, given the beauty and value of Earth's seemingly unique biological systems, humans are worth it: would the world be better off without us, is humanity just an asteroid? — 00:00:25
  • ★ Hank suspects most people don't spend much time worrying whether they should feel bad for existing, but he does. (hedged) — 00:00:44

00:00:52 — Hank concludes we're worth it: human creation is marvellous and unique, we are not an asteroid, we create more than we destroy; increase awesome, decrease suck; sign-off

  • ★★★ After years of thinking, Hank concludes that humans are worth it, while granting he might be biased, being one. — 00:00:52
  • ★★ Hank argues that, like the natural world's complexity, the technological, psychological and sociological worlds are beautiful, marvellous and unique, which is easy to miss from inside. — 00:00:59
  • ★★ Hank rejects the view that intelligence is just one valued trait among others (cheetahs fastest, blue whales biggest, barnacles longest penises), believing people know humans are special. (hedged) — 00:01:16
  • ★★★ Hank says the scale of human creation, from tiny ideas to the Burj Khalifa, cultures, atomic theory, Bridget Jones's Diary, Star Trek and honky-tonk music, is extremely valuable and unique. — 00:01:31
  • ★★★ Hank says humanity is not an asteroid, even if in the end, as he hopes it won't, it has the same effect on the planet's biodiversity. — 00:01:51

  • ★★★ Hank says witnessing humanity's achievement, its interaction with nature and how it lets us understand nature is the closest he gets to spiritual, filling him with awe, joy, wonder and pride. — 00:01:57

    “that's the closest I get to spiritual”

  • ★★★ Hank says humans have done things he will never forgive, but we create more than we destroy. — 00:02:12

  • ★★★ Hank says the goal must be to destroy less and create more, to increase awesome and decrease suck; that is what he believes in. — 00:02:19 · world suck

    “To increase awesome and decrease suck”

  • ★★ Hank thinks humans are ultimately pretty good at creating more than they destroy, and getting better at it. (hedged) — 00:02:26

00:02:35 — End screen: Crash Course Psychology launched; Hank's return to HankGames; DFTBA Records warehouse move and $10 shirt sale

  • ★★ Hank announces that Crash Course Psychology, starring him, has just launched on youtube.com/crashcourse, using our minds to explore our minds. — 00:02:37 · Crash Course

  • ★★ Hank promises he is coming back to HankGames, which has long been 'johngames', with multiple videos a week including Pikmin 3 and Hank and Katherine playing Super Mario Brothers U. — 00:02:47 · HankGames, Katherine Green

    “I promise this time I'm coming back to hankgames”

  • ★★ Hank says DFTBA Records, their merch company, needs a bigger warehouse and is moving, so old shirts are on sale for $10 each, about half the usual price. — 00:02:57 · DFTBA Records

  • ★★ Hank points viewers to the sale via the description link or dftba.com: if they've been holding back, this is the time. — 00:03:15 · DFTBA Records

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: human impact on the environment

Also: People: Jacques Chirac · Katherine Green · Kevin Bacon

Projects: Crash Course · DFTBA Records · HankGames

Works: Bridget Jones's Diary · New Super Mario Bros. U · Pikmin 3 · Star Trek (franchise)

Terms: world suck

Concepts: Asteroid · Atomic theory · barnacle · Biodiversity · Blue whale · cheetah · climate change · Dead zone (ecology) · Extinction event · Garbage patch · Honky-tonk · nuclear meltdown · Oil spill

Places: Burj Khalifa

Also centred on human impact on the environment: October 5th: Feuding, Goonies and Politics · Nine Die in Georgia Floods - Kanye is a Jackass · Some Mind-Bending Earth GIFs · What is the Strongest Force on Earth? · The Amazon isn't "Burning" - It's Being Burned

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