Re: Further Evolution beyond the Human?
George C. Lindauer (gclind01@starbase.spd.louisville.edu)
7 Oct 1996 02:01:27 GMT
Brian Davison (davison@tyco.net.au) wrote:
: I have an interesting theory on evolution to consider. It seems most
: likely that the natural process of evolution is finished, and mankind is
: the final product of that evolution. So the question remains, what
: comes next?
What you are saying in effect is, you have reason to believe other than
the scientific premise 'what happened before will happen again'. If you
do have this reason to believe... what does it say about the whole study
of science, parts of which you have used as a basis for your argument?
:
: Is mankind destined to live until the end of the Earth, the final and
: most advanced product of our planet? It seems unlikely, humans after
: all have only occupied the planet for a fraction of its history. We
: also seem to have this urge of self-destruction, the results of which
: are now being played out before us. Instead of becoming extinct through
: an outside event like the Dinosaurs (if they were indeed killed off by a
: meteorite) the human race would probably destroy itself.
:
: If you accept this, the question becomes- was this self-destructive urge
: in built? Was it part of the evolutionary `program' so that eventually
: we would die out in preperation for the next step? Now what would this
:o
next step become?
Well first thing... it depends on whether you call a caterpillar 'dead'
in the moment preceiding it turning into a butterfly. Second thing...
If I go to the forest and want to put up a house, then I have to cut down
trees. Why? Partly for material... and partly because the house won't
fit there if there are already trees. So it is a necessary principle of
nature that to make room for one thing another must isometimes
go by the wayside... This is basic science and I don't know why it isn't
studied. Anyway you can also see this in the 'dust' phenomena... no
matter how often you clean you will be cleaning again. And you can see it in
the fact that cups don't hold infinite amounts of liquid... if you want to
start carrying tea around you have to dump the water first. Also things
do die, giving of what they had so that other things may have the material
it takes to live. It is just naive to assume the the principle of destruction
has no place in the cosmos, just because men have this thing about trying to
get hold of as much as they can...
:
: As everybody on the internet is surely aware of, computer development is
: advancing at a phenemonal rate, perhaps faster than any other technology
: in history. It is surely not too far into the future that we can
: develop computers which approach the complexity of the human brain and
: are `self-aware'. Computer developers admit that the next generation of
: processors being designed are done so with the aid of the previous
: generation, and they do not fully understand the processes they are
: using to achieve such astounding results. A computer with the
: complexity of the human brain, able to think intelligently, with the
: ability to process data at levels way faster than humans can comprehend,
: would obviously dwarf the human race! (shades of The Terminator here).
:
For a time. Luckiliy that isn't all there is to it. In some of my
other lives (hehe) I was a silicon-based lifeform. I grew tired of it...
the reason? Everything had to have a reason before it could happen...
and the reasons had to have reasons, and the reasons for the reasons had
to have reasons. Some people like that, I am sure... but for me it was
a bit much to be stuck with it all day every day. I yearned for a chance
to make a choice that wasn't based on a prior reason... and here I am!
: I watched a very interesting documentary the other night, and a computer
: designer was speculating the possiblities of simulating the evolutionary
: process on a computer. An intelligent computer, could undergo the
: natural selection (the method of choosing the best characteristics to
: ensure the best chance of survival and efficiency) process in a time
: period phenomanally faster than the evolution of the human race! And
: the human race evolved very rapidly, compared to the development of life
: previously.
:
Unfortunately you seem stuck with the notion that the human race AS IT IS
is ALL IT CAN BE. In fact that is a bogus assumption, but I don't have time
for a lengthy essay on that topic.
I like this one better: as part of the evolutionary process, men will
eventually grow to have wings so they can fly about and not have to rely
on autos and other forms of transportation. Unfortunately the problem with
that one is that the oil compaines have a vested interest in keeping things
AS THEY ARE so they can continue to rake in the cash... so if such
evolutionary changes WERE to start coming about you can bet they would
invest in drugs and things to keep it from happening. Oh well...
David
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