Re: how would you plan our next evolution?
From: potemkin9 (nnscb0g02_at_sneakemail.com)
Date: 06/27/04
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Date: 26 Jun 2004 21:59:26 -0700
David Dalton <dalton@nfld.com> wrote in message news:<j4ujd0dq6hof42kkdin0obrhm0kvf9mcsm@4ax.com>...
> If you could plan the next sudden evolutionary jump
<snip>
I agree with Arthur Koestler's assessment that evolution has left us
in a dangerous situation; IIRC this is what he meant by ghost in the
machine. His idea was that our neo-cortex evolved without hierarchical
control over the more primitive parts of the brain. The result is that
we have become delusional and non-epistemological; dangerously clever
chimps, instead of wise humans.
It seems to me that because of our technological sophistication,
combined with the evolutionary persistence of alpha male pack
mentality, our natural evolutionary progress has reached its limit.
Survival of the fittest becomes social dominance by the most manichean
and savage. With the impending availability of biological WMD, how can
we survive as a species when so many self-styled leaders are wind-up
alpha males driven by mutually exclusive tautologies?
If we could design the next stage of evolution, instead of tweaking
minor physical processes like the ability to autosynthesize vitamin C,
I'd first focus on figuring out how to increase hierarchical
consciousness and self-awareness in some fashion, so blind machismo
didn't constantly subvert logic and trump win-win scenarios.
Extreme life extension would also be a good goal. Besides the obvious
benefit, I think our repressed denial of mortality helps makes us
destructive.
potemkin9
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