Re: SOCIOLOGY: On Betting on Aging

From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Sat Mar 17 2001 - 20:07:39 MST


From: <CurtAdams@aol.com>
> It's not clear what's a "favorable" mutation for something
> already essentially perfect.

That's why sharks haven't evolved much in millions of years, they're
essentially perfect. I don't know if ultra-intelligence will have much use
for essentially perfect organisms... but ultra-intelligence might help
humans find ways to manage the problems that lack of mutation engenders.
These problems would include immune system deficiencies relating to the
emergence of new strains of viruses, lack of adaptability to environmental
changes, and so forth. But of course humans might opt for accelerated
mutation in individuals, IOW, cyborgs, in which case, there goes the idea
of something already essentially perfect. The more you want to keep things
the same, the more you end up changing things, because things just
naturally change.

τΏτ

Stay hungry,

--J. R.

Useless hypotheses: consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind,
free will
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http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/research/cogaff/
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