Re: >H Hayflick on death and immortality

Hara Ra (harara@shamanics.com)
Sat, 30 May 1998 23:46:23 -0700

Cori:
>i realise that my posts tend to sound a little disparaging of the mental
>abilities of most people, but the evidence is all 'round me, in the
papers, on
>tv, even just walking down the block. i am often astounded at the sheer
>ignorance, stupidity, and obliviousness i witness.
>i'd be interested to know how the list feels about this. do you feel that
>people in general are smarter than they are given credit for?..does it only
>seem as if the general level of knowledge, understanding, and intelligence is
>slipping?..or is this a legitimate concern?

1. There's a basic evolutionary strategy, (Yes I'v read my Dawkins and this
statement is waay to telelogical...) of "just good enough". Minimization of
effort. Most of the world doesn't need much effort or intelligence to deal
with in a minimal way.

2. Many of the power structures treat people as rather dumb 5 year olds, and
the simplest response is just to act like one....

O--------------------------------O
| Hara Ra <harara@shamanics.com> |
| Box 8334 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 |
| |
| Death is for animals; |
| immortality for gods. |
| Technology is the means by |
| which we make the transition. |
O--------------------------------O