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Kura December 9th, 2010 9:58 AM

Real or Artificial
 
Kinda inspired by the talk about "real" christmas trees and "artificial" ones.. (How some people think artificial is better because it is more convenient and others saying that real is better because it holds a truer and more traditional spirit of christmas)

Do you think the world is becoming more "artificial" or is it heading back to it's roots for more "real" stuff?

Take into consideration a lot of things.. cloning.. very artificial and still very prescient (not just cloning bodies but cloning blood cells and etc)
Are the artificial things trying to become more real? Or are they separating themselves? (Robots looking more human in Japan as opposed to some robots remaining very technical and rudimentary?)

Are relationships becoming more artificial? Are they becoming more real? (Things such as natural breasts being preferred over fake boobs, for example)

What about food? There's demand for organic food.. but the integration of "artificial" (processed) food is "taking over."


So what's your view? Do you prefer one or the other? What do you think is it store for us for the future? Will everything be artificial? Or will we end up having more emphasis on things that are "real"? What will we do in our strive for perfection as a race?

Thoughts?

professor plum December 9th, 2010 10:22 AM

It depends on the context of what is real and what is artificial.
For example, in regards to Christmas trees, they make me sneeze and itch, so, I go with an artificial tree.

However, I think we're becoming more and more artificial as time goes on. We're more of a disposable society; ergo, as technology progresses, we toss out what we don't need anymore.

Thus, we have the ~Green~ movement as of late which basically consists of being ~eco-friendly~.

Overall, though, it is what is more economically efficient: it's easier to produce processed foods.

And..in regards to the scientific part : cloning, et. all, I think it'll be a good thing and a bad thing.
We'll be able to perfect ourselves an astounding image, with picturesque health..which will lead to overpopulation. It reminds me of Gattaca, which essentially is about a society where people are perfected, but one person isn't. He dreams of going to space, but he cannot because he's ~not perfect~. It's very interesting. Here's a summary.

So, yeah. We're already suffering overpopulation. ): This will only make it worse.

The next step, obviously, is to develop the ~artificial~ to allow us to colonize other planets.

Jolene December 9th, 2010 10:25 AM

Yea I think people are wanting things to become more real. Like, if you look at comedy shows, in the past comedy shows used to be about characters getting into crazy slapstick sitautions but nowadays comedy shows are expected to relefct real life like in The Office and such.

Hmm...

Binary December 9th, 2010 10:35 AM

Yeah, it pretty much depends on the context. There may be some situations when the factors need to be natural, whereas there are some situations when artificial factors are essential. Indeed, we're becoming more artificial with the flux of time, but at the same time, these ~artificial~ things have been addressing the needs of society. Whether it's used for good or bad, it's up to us. I believe there will be lack of sufficient resources some time in the future, but I doubt it'll bring hindrance to human growth and differentiation since most artificial things are made so that they can benefit man. If this theory were to contrast, it'd lead to disaster. And I also think emphasis should be given to the real and natural; artificial factors as a second option is what I wouldn't want to see. However, man will always strive for perfection.

twocows December 9th, 2010 11:29 AM

I don't think there's anything wrong with "artificial." Likewise, things aren't necessarily good or positive just because they are natural (take death, for instance; that's as natural as you can get).

The root of all "artificial" things is natural, anyway.

Kura December 9th, 2010 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twocows (Post 6332876)
I don't think there's anything wrong with "artificial." Likewise, things aren't necessarily good or positive just because they are natural (take death, for instance; that's as natural as you can get).

The root of all "artificial" things is natural, anyway.

What of mechanical pets? Could you argue that they are rooted in nature? What about mechanical pets to come? Or dolls, for instance? What if we made the step to owning robotic dolls? Is it possible?

Feel free to dispute.

Headfirst For Halos December 9th, 2010 11:52 AM

I agree with twocows. The "natural/green" movement is gimmicky, and a waste of money and [gasp] resources!

Esper December 9th, 2010 9:53 PM

It's hard to pin down what's natural and what's unnatural. Unnatural just means not natural and natural means... what exactly? Not unnatural? It's hard to see where one starts and the other ends.

I mean, you could say that a Christmas tree is "natural" if it's the kind you grow rather than the plastic kind, but it's probably been planted specifically to be cut down and might have been selectively grown from cones that came from the most Christmas-y looking tree (and not from a Charlie Brown kind of Christmas tree) since those are likely to be most popular. That has a tinge of "unnatural" to me.

I guess I'm just trying to say that I feel like the ideas of natural and unnatural are blurring. Or maybe that we're taking things that once felt unnatural as natural now without realizing it.

Kirozane December 9th, 2010 10:21 PM

Well as said before this could go either way depending on the subject in question.

Christmas trees I would PREFER a natural tree. They have a better texture to the touch and the initial scent is something that can't be artificially emulated perfectly. There will always be an element missing. However, as I have cats I tend to have to go with artificial. They leave those ones alone more often from a relative standpoint.

But for vegetation, for quite a while artificial selection has had its way with things. So for foods and such, it's difficult to find anything that wasn't artificially altered some point in its genealogy. They exist, but when brought into consideration it isn't as common as you'd think. Or maybe like. So at least in that aspect the terms "real" and "natural" have become very skewed.

As for the future, I kinda think that we're cyclical in nature. At least... as cyclical as progression will allow. We actually have not been in straight lines between one and the other, but rather, small loops. We'll depend on the artificial, but soon nature comes to herd us back to the best of its ability. It's going to keep happening until all we have is one, and that will almost assuredly be artificial things.

Also, since it was mentioned in the OP - perfection as a race is a kind of skewed thing too. Because ultimately, perfection is opinion. As long as we can have separate opinions, perfection will not be unanimously reached. In my opinion its just a downward spiral because we're going to keep creating more artificial.. things... to try to cause a consensus. It'll only be a matter of time before that spirals too far beyond control.

PlatinumDude December 10th, 2010 12:49 AM

Sometimes getting the real thing is using up resources, as stated above, so that's why we get the artificial alternatives to conserve resources. I also don't see what's wrong with using artificial things in our daily lives.

Melody December 10th, 2010 1:13 AM

As far as Christmas Trees go...I don't think it really matters a whole lot.

The only thing that really matters is the reasonable application. Real Trees are expected for outdoor trees in climes that are hospitable to them. Artificial Trees are perfect for Indoors because you just don't have to clean up as much after them, not to mention the things you just don't want to bring inside with a Christmas Tree. (Tree ticks, pollen from the tree itself, other plant borne illnesses which may affect your health, or the health of any other living occupant of the house, ect...)

With that being said, if one insists that real trees are more appropriate for Christmas, then it's fine, unless there is a circumstance that requires an artificial tree. At any rate, it's impossible for me to care. Real or fake, a Christmas Tree is a Christmas Tree, and it has the very same meaning.

No debate of trees matters.

BLK December 10th, 2010 12:58 PM

i always go with an artificial tree

Elite Overlord LeSabre™ December 10th, 2010 2:11 PM

I have to go with artificial trees due to allergies.

As for natural vs. artificial in general, I honestly don't pay attention to whether a product is claimed to be "all-natural" or not. As long as it works as it's supposed to with any adverse side effects, I'm fine with it.

As for mechanical pets, their circuitry most likely utilizes microchips which contain silicon, which can be found in nature, and the wiring uses some sort of metal (copper, etc.) which also occur in nature.

OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire December 10th, 2010 3:41 PM

I prefer Natural stuff overall...not much or an artificial person...but I can see where those who prefer Artificial are coming from.

Captain Fabio December 11th, 2010 8:02 AM

Personally, I prefer the natural tree. It smells better and just looks better. Yes, you do have to clean up the needles after Christmas, but that is a small price to pay for your house looking good.

Blue Nocturne December 11th, 2010 8:58 AM

I'll go with whatever is better. Natural or Artificial isn't a deciding factor. In the tree department, I like both, but this year I've gone with an Artificial Tree. It has a perfect shape, real trees are the luck of a draw, you can get a good one or a terribly misshapen one. Because you can manipulate the branches, they're also much easier to decorate well. I've used a air freshener to replicate the sweet scent of a proper tree, and it has coped quite well in filling the void.

Them Bones December 11th, 2010 9:52 AM

I love real trees because it's fun to take time out of your day to decorate it instead of the pre-decorated artificial trees. Plus, it just gives you that christmas feeling.

zoo3891 December 11th, 2010 10:57 PM

I myself like Artificial trees, but i can see why people would like real ones better. Artificial trees as last much longer, and the real ones are usually more expensive. But if you really like Christmas spirit then a real tree is fun.


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