From: Jim Fehlinger (fehlinger@home.com)
Date: Wed Jan 17 2001 - 04:32:10 MST
Samantha Atkins wrote:
>
> Jim Fehlinger wrote:
> >
>
> > Moravec paints some pretty scary pictures himself...
>
> Really. Could you point out where he says the Exes would lie in wait to
> blast newcomers from earth? I didn't see that. And I find it extremely
> unlikely.
Well, I'm afraid I can't -- my copy of the book seems to be lent out.
I don't think he says they would "blast" newcomers; I think the image
was more along the lines of eating them. Either consuming them for
resources or else co-opting or enslaving them. At any rate, Moravec
suggests that the first humans to "transcend" (he doesn't
actually use that terminology) would be running the show, and that
latecomers wouldn't have much autonomy, unless they could manage to
escape into deep space. Maybe this could be interpreted as meaning
simply that the more advanced Exes would "employ" the more recent
ones, but with the latecomers having no more real choice in the
matter than most wage-earners do in modern industrialized economies
(though no doubt the official description of the relationship could
be prettied up as much as needed to preserve the dignity of the
newcomers, if that was considered desirable).
Jim F.
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