Re: GENE/SOC: Playing Devil's Advocate

From: hal@finney.org
Date: Sun Apr 30 2000 - 13:01:45 MDT


I'd like to see a little monitor associated with every living organism
on the planet. It can watch out that they don't reproduce too quickly
and otherwise control or guide it.

I recall Clifford Simak's story in his collection City, where intelligent
dogs have inherited the earth and are trying to bring peace to the
animal kingdom, the lion lying down with the lamb. Predation is a hard
problem to solve honorably for all parties concerned, but I think it is
worth trying. Every day, billions of animals die in suffering and pain
as their desperate struggles to escape a predator fail.

Nature is screwed up. It's a bloodthirsty, vicious world. We should be
able to do better.

Hal



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