markh@csd4.csd.uwm.edu (Mark William Hopkins) (12/07/90)
On the main question:
* Subject: homo trans sapiens
* From: sct60a.sunyct.edu!sct60a.sunyct.edu!stu@sct60a.sunyct.edu (Stu Card)
* Date: Thu, 15 Nov 90 20:33:39 -0500
* I fear that Elan Moritz may suffer from the widespread misconception that
* natural evolution is purposive: that a species develops new traits in
* order to achieve some goal. This misconception is promoted by the use of
* phrases such as 'adaptive strategy' by people who should know better.
* Here is the low down on evolution, according to Darwin (who may
* admittedly not have the last word), as I understand it:
<... Darwin's account ... >
There's nothing that keeps one from regarding Darwin's account of evolution
as also being a description of a stochastic algorithm for 'solving' a certain
problem...
One could validly say that computers don't compute as well, since all a
computer does is propagate signals between chips (seen on the circuit level),
or more to the point, propagate electrons and holes in a quasi-random manner
between different regions of chips and electrons between different components
of the circuit board...
But when looks at on a higher level you suddenly see patterns. One uses the
word 'purpose' or 'design' to describe those patterns.
Evolution also has patterns on a higher level that one could also use the
word 'purpose' or 'design' for. And why not? Because there's no visible
agent?
Exobiology would ultimately mold this assertion in concrete. Because what I
believe will be found is that on most planets with advanced forms of life,
this life will take on a basically humanoid form.
If you don't like the word 'purpose' then try this:
The Vulcan Law of Exobiology:
(conceived of in some future episode of Star Trek)
"Evolving life forms converge asymptotically to humanoid
form under a large variety of initial conditions"
That almost even sounds authoratative... :)
And if you're an aspiring exobiologist living in the Twentieth Century, it
seriously might not be a bad place to start.
------------------------------------------------------------
On a secondary issue:
* Now to address the real issue:
* How are the proposed characteristics of homo trans sapiens going to cause
* more of his offspring to survive and successfully reproduce?
...
* NOTE: What I have said only pertains to NATURAL evolution --
* bioengineers, genetecists, cyborg-builders, roboticists, etc. NEED NOT BE
* CONCERNED and indeed should plug away, as they seem to be our only hope!
* Oh, sorry, accidentally left out you mystics...
When there's direct intervention, how can evolution ever be natural any longer?
So, why should one think that survival or successful reproduction will ever
be a driving force of evolution from this time forth on this planet?
It's a different game now...
We can intervene, so we can change the rules. And in our world, successful
reproduction is most definitely NOT a desired goal, but rather the inhibition
of over-reproduction is.
Who knows? We could evolve into a species (completely by our own intervention)
where sex no longer leads to conception, where the few children born each year
are conceived purposely by bioengineering, and in which everyone lives in
their 'twenties' for thousands of years...
And at the rate things are going, it could happen in our lifetimes :)