Why are humans fascinated with flight and the ability to fly?

  • Thread starter Thread starter haael
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the reasons behind human fascination with flight, touching on psychological, historical, and experiential aspects. Participants reflect on various motivations for the desire to fly, including freedom, adventure, and the contrast with everyday life.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that the desire to fly embodies the idea of freedom.
  • Others propose that flying represents an escape from the constraints of everyday life.
  • One participant mentions the thrill and rush associated with hang gliding as a compelling reason to fly.
  • Another viewpoint emphasizes the practical benefits of flying for travel and connection with others.
  • Some express skepticism about the practicality and safety of flying, noting potential chaos and danger.
  • A few participants reflect on the psychological implications of flight, including fears and the instinctual desire to soar.
  • One participant humorously notes that not everyone shares the desire to fly, highlighting the diversity of opinions.
  • There are references to historical figures and stories, such as Daedalus and Icarus, to illustrate the longstanding human fascination with flight.
  • Some participants express a desire for flight while acknowledging fears associated with falling.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the reasons for the fascination with flight, with multiple competing views and personal experiences shared throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Some claims are based on personal experiences and subjective feelings, while others reference historical anecdotes. The discussion includes a mix of serious reflections and light-hearted commentary, indicating a range of perspectives on the topic.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in psychology, human behavior, aviation, and the philosophical implications of flight may find this discussion engaging.

haael
Messages
537
Reaction score
35
What do You think: why do we want to fly so badly?

Why did Daedalus and Icarus strap wings to themselves? Why did Wright brothers construct a plane? Why do we like to fly in lucid dreams? Why do we climb Mount Everest? What did we fly to the Moon for?

Why there is such a psychological flaw in us? Why do we, land animals, want to be birds?

I presume, we were angels once upon a time, but God took our wings back after the first sin.
What do You think about this?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Because we can't.
 
Same reason people want to ride go-carts when they own a car already. It's different. It's fun to ride in things.
 
Because it embodys the idea of freedom.
 
Because you can travel across an ocean and a continent in mere nine hours to see friends and relatives and do business. Something that took oh maybe 30 days in the time of Phileas Fogg
 
Although I would love the idea of being able to fly(i.e. wings) to some extent I'm glad we can not.
Imagine the chaos and danger of flying drunk, for example.
 
Freedom from gravity. Why do people want freedom?
 
haael said:
What do You think: why do we want to fly so badly?

Why did Daedalus and Icarus strap wings to themselves? Why did Wright brothers construct a plane? Why do we like to fly in lucid dreams? Why do we climb Mount Everest? What did we fly to the Moon for?

Why there is such a psychological flaw in us? Why do we, land animals, want to be birds?


Maybe because reality and everyday life so constraining and routine. And what could be better than flying your own 2-seater plane?


I presume, we were angels once upon a time, but God took our wings back after the first sin.
What do You think about this?


I think being able to fly is proof that God still loves us. :!)
 
Flying would not be my first choice of superpower, but why not? It would make some things easier. No longer would I have a fear of heights.
 
  • #10
I do not want to fly.
 
  • #11
why not rootx? I like flying it's pretty fun I mean you I wouldn't want to be in the air all day long but it's fun seeing the ground from way up above.
 
  • #12
In a world full of people, only some want to fly. Isn't that crazy?
 
  • #13
Because it would be awesome?
 
  • #14
perhaps it is instinct. genetic memory from our days of soaring through that somewhat thicker atmosphere, the ocean.
 
  • #15
I can't speak for everyone, but some of us crazy lunatics have had a compulsion to throw ourselves into the air. There's nothing like the rush of pushing a hang glider into a wind and lifting into the air. You're on your own, without a noisome motor. It's clean and pure. And sometimes at the best of moments, the wind doesn't let up, but increases and you are propelled skyward and upward beyond the bounds of Earth for a time too short. We struggle and fight gravity to stay in the sky. Beats me why. I don't do it any more. It's crazy.
 
  • #16
Andre said:
Because you can travel across an ocean and a continent in mere nine hours to see friends and relatives and do business. Something that took oh maybe 30 days in the time of Phileas Fogg

As an aside, Jules Verne might well have gotten his idea about Phileas Fogg&his wager from the real-life Irish adventurer and politician Thomas Whaley (1766-1800) ("Buck" Whaley)

Buck Whaley was an inveterate gambler, and in 1788, he made his "Jerusalem Wager".

Quoting from Wikipedia:
While dining with the William FitzGerald, the Duke of Leinster at Leinster House, in response to a question regarding his future travel plans, Whaley flippantly mentioned Jerusalem. This reply led to wagers totalling £15,000 being offered that Whaley could not travel to Jerusalem and back within two years and provide proof of his success. The reasoning of those offering the bets was based on the belief that, as the region was part of the Ottoman Empire and had a reputation for widespread banditry, it would be too dangerous for travellers and it would be unlikely that Whaley could complete the journey.

Whaley embarked from Dublin on 8 October 1788, with a retinue of servants and a "large stock of Madeira wine" to cheers from the large crowd assembled at the Dublin quays. Whaley sailed first to Deal, where he was joined by a companion, a Captain Wilson, for the journey, and then on to Gibraltar where a ball was held for his arrival. In Gibraltar, his party was joined by another military officer, Captain Hugh Moore. The party set sail for the port of Smyrna, although Wilson was prevented from traveling any further by rheumatic fever. The remaining pair made an overland journey from there to Constantinople, arriving in December.

The British ambassador in Constantinople introduced Whaley to the Vizier Hasan Pasha. Taking a liking to Whaley, Hasan Pasha provided him with permits to visit Jerusalem. Whaley's party left Constantinople on January 21, 1789 by ship, and sailed to Acre.

In a meeting reported in Whaley's memoirs later, he encountered the Wāli (governor) (and de facto ruler) of Acre and Galillee, Ahmed al-Jazzar. It was Whaley's twenty-second birthday. Al-Jazzar, notoriously known as "The Butcher" in the region he ruled, look a liking to Mr Whaley; and though he dismissed the documents issued in Constantinople as worthless, he permitted Whaley to continue his journey. During this audience, Whaley said in his memoirs that he interceded with al-Jazzar to stop him breaking the back of a servant with a hammer. He also tells how al-Jazzar then paraded his concubines for the visitors.

Whaley and his companions made their way overland to Jerusalem, arriving on the 28th January. During his visit, he stayed at a Franciscan monastery, the Convent of Terra Sancta. It was a signed certificate from the superior of this institution, along with detailed observations of the buildings of Jerusalem, that would provide the proof needed to prove the success of his journey. They stayed for little over a month, before returning to Ireland overland.

Whaley arrived back in Dublin in the summer of 1789 to great celebrations and collected the winnings of the wager. The trip cost him a total of £8,000, leaving him a profit of £7,000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Whaley_(politician)

He wrote a memoir of his adventures, freely available on archive.org
 
  • #17
Maybe these can explain why they want to fly:

21mywbs.jpg


I took this picture at 'Le Markstein' in France this afternoon.

Now who was talking about adventures and taking risks?
 
Last edited:
  • #18
Let's be realistic! If we ever able to fly that wouldn't be like superman where we can fly for miles without getting tired and it would come with some costs. I am happy as such and I am not willing to lose current abilities to be able to fly.
 
  • #19
rootX I am starting to think you hate flying :(
 
  • #20
Bet it's fun in the space station.
 
  • #21
Ever think that it comes from the thought "Everything falls, the book, the computer, even me." So when "you" are on a bridge, you realize that the bridge is not what keeps you from falling but {YOU} prevent the fall, in realization, freedom from the seemingly infante tether that protected you can be broken by sheer freewill?:biggrin:
 
  • #22
I want to fly, but I have an irrational fear of falling to my death. :biggrin:
 
  • #23
That's what I'm talking about! I mean take the thought of a cat climbing up a tree. The cat knowing that it can climb up is easy, but looking down is the cat is bewildered looking down and will likely not do so. If humans could control flight within their own bodies, (eg superman, something out of starwars) they'd imminently want to be sure of coming back down the same way. (also it strangely seems to leave a cloud of thought referring to Peter Pan...) But knowing the gravity of the Earth pulling you down just enough, it allows you to fall.
So I guess until science can prove a mental ability that occurs that allows the mind to defy gravity caring the body with it it's impossible to fly... (yet it seems to resonate with the crazy idea that at an X speed a molecule can leave the Earth's gravity "biologically...") :rolleyes:
 
  • #24
Pythagorean said:
Freedom from gravity. Why do people want freedom?

How is one free from gravity when flying? :wink:

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of flying. It is very useful to me, as Andre has mentioned, but I don't necessarily enjoy the act.

I know a few people who enjoy flying a great deal, but I can't relate. I do enjoy the views, though.
 
  • #25
haael said:
What do You think: why do we want to fly so badly?

Why did Daedalus and Icarus strap wings to themselves? Why did Wright brothers construct a plane? Why do we like to fly in lucid dreams? Why do we climb Mount Everest? What did we fly to the Moon for?

Why there is such a psychological flaw in us? Why do we, land animals, want to be birds?

I presume, we were angels once upon a time, but God took our wings back after the first sin.
What do You think about this?

umm cos it would be cool? it would be even cooler if i can fly n turn into fireball like in Fantastic Four. :)

i don't get the last question.. do u also believe in Superman or Santa Claus? or maybe u took the red pill?
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
  • · Replies 42 ·
2
Replies
42
Views
10K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
4K
  • · Replies 59 ·
2
Replies
59
Views
10K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
4K
  • · Replies 61 ·
3
Replies
61
Views
12K
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
9K
  • · Replies 18 ·
Replies
18
Views
4K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
24K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
10K