the sillicon in my computer probably came from Africa - true fact, but not particularly interesting for obvious reasons.
I want to add something about evolution. When we think of the future I think we have to include technology as well. Imagine yourself 500 years into the future. Advanced technology allows us to build much more complex, stronger and faster human legs made of materials that last for hundreds of years and that are easily replaceable.
Would you still use your human legs, or switch to the robotic ones? What if this happens not only to our legs but also arms and the other parts of our body.
Scary speculation… 
Meh, I don’t see any problem with transplanting my brain to a cyber-chassis. Same driver, different vehicle.
“Please hold still while you are being terminated. The process is entirely painless. Thank you for your cooperation, citizen!”
I agree with Bacon. I wanna fly a plane with my brainz, damnit!
Actually, yes.
“Awareness” is simply a biochemical response to stimuli somewhat similar in construction to how a plant left by a window will bend towards the window to get the sunlight.
Animals other than humans also have awareness, in varying levels. I have a stand fan that sits next to my bed and, this morning, my television remote fell off the bed and hit the fan’s base, creating a loud noise. My cat jumped, startled at the sound (aware of the sound) and then came over to sniff the remote (aware that the remote is what made the noise). He’s also looked into a mirror and saw me coming up behind him and then turned around to look at me (self-awareness).
I’m not quite sure why some people have a problem with this…
Because it means that we are not as superior to other lifeforms as those people would like to think. What would you rather believe to be? “God’s chosen people!” or “the product of accidential circumstances”?
Mental masturbation, basically, but who can blame them?
Well, what we “believe to be” has no bearing on what we actually are. We aren’t products of “accidental circumstances”. To me, defining evolution as “accidental” or “random” shows that those defining it as such don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.
We can believe to be “God’s chosen people” and the product of “accidental” circumstances at the same time.
However, in my not-so-humble opinion, “God” has a lot more to prove than any theory of evolution and abiogenesis…
Exactly. But all too often religious fuckwads will use this phrase to ridicule the theory of evolution, thus only demonstrating that they have not understood it.
Like Ben Stein?
I don’t really know WHAT Ben Stein believes in. “Expelled” was a money grab, plain and simple. How well it accomplished its feat, however…
I love debating “Expelled” with adherents, though. 
He believes (for example) that life according to scientists is a lightning strike in a mudpool.
I don’t know if that is what he believes or he’s simply “playing the audience”.
Funneh how in reality, it is often quite the other way round. The Inquisition’s tortures were administered out of compassion (“let’s torture and burn/purify their bodies in order to save their souls, lest their souls be tortured in hell till the end of time”) and Love of God, whereas science has indeed led us to a glorious place:
We can communicate with people all over the world in an instant, practically without effort. We have light, fresh water and heat in the winter readily available night and day, without having to do any more than throw a switch. We can travel through the sky and to the bottom of the seas in relative safety. We can reach any destination on our planet in a matter of hours. We have almost all the information (and disinformation) in the world available through the internet, unfiltered, uncensored (at least in most cases), for us to form our own opinion.
Right now, science is working on refining methods to gain fresh drinking water from the oceans, revolutionize hydroponic farming (which is largely more independent from the availability of fertile ground and sunlight than any farming method ever developed), solve the energy issues that’ll await us in the near future and - last but not least - develop the techniques and materials necessary to build a space dock in a stationary orbit, connected to the surface via space lift, making interplanetary travel cheaper than any time before.
EDIT: And, frankly, guarantee humanity’s survival of the next global catastrophe.
Whereas religion is doing what exactly to help humanity progress? Last thing I heard from the Catholic Church was about child molestation and abuse. Islam is already a synonym for terrorism (deserving or not), and last news from a Jewish nation involved the hijacking of a care transport vessel on its way into the heavily destroyed area of Gaza (?) and the consideration of using small thermonuclear warheads against terrorists.
But I’ll be the first one to agree that my view might be completely biased, and that therefore I have missed out on a lot of recent, religiously-motivated accomplishments improving the life of all humans on this planet (or at least those who can afford it). If so, I would love to read about them.
It’s true though, biased or not.
I’m gonna save that. That was awesome Danson
If you can have biochemical response to stimuli without awareness (see: plant bends toward window), it’s impossible to define awareness as simply biochemical response to stimuli.
I’m pretty sure nobody has a problem with that.
This bscly.
So true
Well, the majority of the world’s major charitable aid organizations are either explicitly religious or have religious roots.