From: Emlyn O'regan (oregan.emlyn@healthsolve.com.au)
Date: Fri Jul 25 2003 - 22:15:33 MDT
Because the foxes can become metafoxes, and so are a threat to the existing
metafoxes. Further, the Rabbits cannot become foxes or metafoxes, so they
are not threatening. Metafoxes don't need to consume for food, just to
destroy enemies.
Emlyn
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robin Hanson [mailto:rhanson@gmu.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, 26 July 2003 6:45 AM
> To: extropians@extropy.org
> Subject: Meta-Foxes (was: Fermi Paradox)
>
>
> Some people think that the explanation of the Fermi paradox
> is that there are predators out there that swoop down an destroy
> any civilization that visibly starts to colonize. For that,
> I have a parable:
>
> Imagine a field full of slow plump rabbits, munching on grass.
> Imagine a fox sitting in a tall clump of grass eating the
> rabbits that happen to wander into that clump. This fox is
> thinks that he shouldn't leave his clump, because there are
> meta-foxes out there, who only eat foxes. He thinks the
> reason that there are so many uneaten rabbits out there is that
> any time a fox comes out to eat a rabbit, a meta-fox sees it
> and runs in and eats the fox. And his reason for not seeing
> any meta-foxes out there eating foxes is that this is a very
> rare event, due to the fact that meta-foxes are very efficient
> and foxes are rare.
>
> My key problem with this scenario is: why don't the meta-foxes
> eat the rabbits? Why focus on a few hard to catch foxes?
>
>
>
> Robin Hanson rhanson@gmu.edu http://hanson.gmu.edu
> Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University
> MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
> 703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
>
>
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