Re: Allowing Evolution To Take It's Course

Sean Hastings (whysean@earthlink.net)
Tue, 17 Dec 1996 15:30:46 -0600

Chris Hind wrote:
>
> In my junior year of high school there was a kid with genetic respiratory
> problems and he began to choke on his own fluid. I did the heimleck on him
> and saved his life. Now a few years later I have this icky feeling as
> though I've cheated evolution and allowed bad genes to continue when I know
> that it was still a noble thing to do by moral standards. Am I infected
> with some sort of "100% natural" meme?

I saw on TV recently where someone has altered a common cold virus to
enter lung tissue and repair the genetic abnormality that causes some of
these respiratory problems. Our memetic processes are taking over our
genetic ones. Pretty soon your body will be what ever you want it to be.

People who think that the natural (genetic) is better than the
artificial (memetic) should be made aware that this idea is itself
memetic. Since all standards of good/bad or beautiful/ugly are memetic,
the "100% natural is good" meme is self-referential and contradictory.

--Sean H.
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