RE: handocentric chauvanism

Jones, Spike (spike.jones@lmco.com)
Fri, 01 May 1998 12:54:46 -0700


>I've heard this "handocentrism" before. But imagine a world where
there
>were cetaceans with intelligence just like humans, yet retaining
the
>cetacean body. Wouldn't there still be lots that one could improve
sans
>hands? First off, they could trade ideas and things with other
cetaceans.
>They could could make simple shelters. Look how well birds do
without
>hands.

ya i suppose. but *any* smart organism that
didnt have hands or something analogous would
kill for a good pair of them. {8^D

the direction of this thread is this: as advanced
beings, we see the value of having senses and
capabilities beyond what evolution has provided.
so we develop these: "eyes" that can see at higher
and lower frequencies than ours, "hands" that can
manipulate huge boulders and atoms, "brains" that
can calculate repetitively for indefinte times without
getting tired or making mistakes.

we will eventually make extensions of ourselves
that will sense and do just about every imaginable
thing. i suspect et will do likewise, regardless of
where its evolutionary took it. spike

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From: Technotranscendence