John Grigg wrote,
>Are we dealing with human beings here?? lol
Eliezer could answer that a whole lot better than J. R. can (so could Max, Natasha, or several others on this list for that matter). The "human condition" needs a lot of work, and if it doesn't change course and take some definite action to avoid repeating the whole ugly history of the past, I think it will stumble into a global conflagration or holocaust. Games, rituals, relationships, and speculation offer plenty of diversion, but when it comes to getting some real answers, and solving the real problems, nothing compares to the compelling power of the scientific method. I don't find anything else that comes close to the exciting adventure of discovering new knowledge and exploring the endless patterns of truth which permeate the glorious honking wonder that we call life (AKA extropy).