/sci/ - Science & Math

Implying

>>4958970
I think its because we grasp reality and the universe as a whole. So in the grand scheme of things we know that everything is relatively pointless

OP, why do you have such a boner for anthropocentrism?

go away.
>>>/r9k/

[DEFINE SUICIDE]

Citation Needed
> Don't you 404 on me.
> Also, sage.

>mfw other organisms commit suicide

Dolphins commit suicide.

Did you know that certain plasmas satisfy the necessary conditions for being a living organism? But can you imagine a plasma committing suicide?

Why aren't there humanoid lifeforms on Mars? Why are birds the only animal to fly thousands of miles every year? Why are elephants the only animals that are elephants? Why are butterflies named after butter?

I hope that these questions have convinced you of your own level of shitposting.

>>4958970
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_suicide

Some animals commit suicide, but it's always in order for some external gain, like feeding their offspring. I think a spider does it, but I don't really know.

Human suicide is made a possible action because we are able to grasp concept of time. Imagining the future far ahead is something other animals don't do. That's which lead us to us making plans, having dreams, having ideas of afterlife or lack of it, having ideas on where we could be in 10 years, etc. We have a very clear linear notion of it and that can be dangerous as hell, as we never know the future in any occasion, we only predict (rationally, irrationally, it doesn't matter, it's just a prediction).

Some people get frustrated on what they could have been or how they won't be able to change for the future, they hold this silly illusions, calculate outcomes under intense stress and harsh emotional states, see no way out and think it's best to end their lives. It's a system crashing, not being able to cope with itself.

There is a bunch of other factors in it as well, social and political complexity, notion of the past as well, a very peculiar family system, high self-awareness, etc. But in the end, I'd say all of that sums up suicide thoughts as a breakdown due to really extreme levels of anxiety. There are means to deal with it though, any good therapist is of help at this point.

>>4959000

> Why are butterflies named after butter?
Oh you magnificent bastard. I'll be thinking of this for weeks...

Ants commit suicide to block off invaders or parasitic infections.

Dolphins and elephants possibly commit suicide out of sadness, like humans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI3u7g8PPEA

>>4959016
>wikipedia

>>4959096
Yes. To punish OP's stuupidity even further.

>>4959077
RUUUUN TOOOO THEEEEE HIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLSS!!!

>>4959077

dat accent

gypsies allso commit suicide

>>4959018
>Human suicide is made a possible action because we are able to grasp concept of time. Imagining the future far ahead is something other animals don't do. That's which lead us to us making plans, having dreams, having ideas of afterlife or lack of it, having ideas on where we could be in 10 years, etc. We have a very clear linear notion of it and that can be dangerous as hell, as we never know the future in any occasion, we only predict

I never thought about this. That's really interesting.

>>4958970
We arent. Couple other animals commit suicide as well. It can be thought of as either adopt "normal behavior" or struggle brought on from higher cognition.

>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_suicide

>>4959018
>Imagining the future far ahead is something other animals don't do
Sorry this is wrong. Other primates have been observed to know the concept of time. Chimps/Gorilla in captivity have been observed to understand today->future references. And they plan ahead of future needs. Other non-primates have also do this, but we dont know much about their intelligence. Squirrel buries their food in autumn so they can get that back in winter.

>>4960280
You are absolutely right. I shouldn't have stated that in such a blatant way.

I just mean that we extrapolate that in an absurd way. In a rational way, I'd say. Animals can grasp concept of past and future, they can predict a winter and a summer, based on their necessitites. But they won't go, say, 10 cycles ahead based on things other than their needs (like our career, money, house, love life, etc). We expanded our life span, our notion of properties and other things like that which gave us a more extended vision of the future (an thus, dissapointment in some way).

>>4959024
In England, around the time the word was created, people believed that witches took the form of certain insects and stole milk and butter from peoples' homes.

of the few great white sharks that humans have captured, all have suddenly died hours after being put into containment

as someone else mentioned, dolphins can kill themselves; their breathing is a voluntary action and they can choose to not breath if needed. There have been documented cases of dolphins in captivity submerging themselves and never resurfacing

I saw a documentary that said rather than lose a fight a scorpion will poison itself with its stinger.