From: Malakai (malakai@argus.interwebco.com)
Date: Tue Oct 01 1996 - 12:13:35 MDT
In terms of creating smaller beings [for lack of a better word] with human
intelligence, I am fairly sure that mankind would be able to control them if
they were robotic [for example, as in Star Wars, okay, I know, a
fictional tale, but restraining bolts are a good idea if we intend to
'enslave' a human-intelligence 'species']-- or via some other means [such
as in the Island of Dr. Moreau, using fear and pain as a controller]--
The human species can be quite cruel and controlling, and we would find a
way to control such a 'resource'.. and if we can't, THEN we'll try and
erradicate it, and of course then we have the Paget scenario! ...
Just a couple cents for the pot!
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GAT/GCS/GCM$ d-- H(!H) s:s g+++>!g p? !au a18 w++! v+ C+++ U UL P? L+ !3
E- N++ K- W+>W--- M-- !V -po+ Y+ t++ 5+ j R+ G'''' tv-- b+ D--- B- e u**
h! f+ r- n- y+
ST1.1 JP+++ S+++ Q+++ <Mott>^+++ E:The Game TOS TNG+++ DS9 VGR-- $+ !SGAX
!SNS+ !3DOX #3
!A JW2 WAR+++ P&B+++ S&SXX R&R+ GDF++ BU+ MI- SN++ CB+ ME+ P- $ T! A18 GM
FICv01msns78X94b5r2f1h0d?h?k?p1t3c?h1w?e3i?m?
*** Malakai@Argus.Interwebco.Com Malakai@Thunderbolt.Com ***
*** Malakai@Cloud.Com http://argus.interwebco.co/~malakai/index.htm ***
On Mon, 30 Sep 1996, Lyle Burkhead wrote:
>
> Many years ago I read a science fiction story which went along these
> lines:
>
> Dr. Paget was a mad scientist who found a way to create animals
> with human intelligence. By "human intelligence" I mean the animals
> have a causal model of the world, as we do. A Paget-dog (or padog)
> can cross the street without getting run over, just like we can.
> It understands its situation, it can make plans, it can communicate
> (using improvised signals and gestures) with other Paget-animals.
> Dr. Paget used horses, dogs, cats, rats, and mice in his experiment.
> So far all this is interesting but harmless, yes?
>
> But then the animals escape from the lab.
>
> The horses are quickly caught. Horses are too big to hide and they
> reproduce slowly. They never had a chance. But the smaller animals
> disappear into the countryside.
>
> Some of the padogs and pacats are caught and killed. The point is
> not lost on the other padogs and pacats. They know that humans are
> The Enemy, and they act accordingly. Soon there is a state of open
> warfare between humans and Paget-animals (usually known simply as
> "pagets"). Dr. Paget is lynched, and his son, who narrates the story,
> changes his name to avoid the same fate.
>
> A pacat who encounters a human will simply jump up into the human's
> face, scratch his eyes out, and jump back to the ground before the
> human can react. Padogs run in packs and become expert at killing
> humans. Parats and pamice learn to chew the insulation off wires, thus
> starting fires and making any kind of electrical equipment unusable.
> Cars and trucks are also unusable, because the pagets chew up the
> fuel lines, v-belts, hoses, and tires. Civilized life becomes impossible.
> Humans revert to pre-industrial society. Back to the jungle.
>
> The pagets reproduce much faster than humans, especially after
> parats discover how easy it is to kill human babies.
>
> After a few decades, the human population is reduced to a few million
> (in the whole world!) living in a state of siege.
>
> Unfortunately, Dr. Paget didn't find a way to create insects or bacteria
> with human intelligence. That would be even more fun.
>
> As I said before, I don't think it is possible to miniaturize humans.
> But if I am wrong, I don't see how the Paget-scenario can be avoided.
> Small creatures (or robots) with human intelligence won't be our
> slaves, at least not very long. Assuming they really do have human
> intelligence, they will soon find a way to escape (perhaps with help
> from sympathetic humans, or humans with more schadenfreude than
> sense). Then we will try to hunt them down, and war will ensue.
> How else could it turn out?
>
> Lyle
>
>
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