Did anyone else have difficulty with one of Hal's messages today? It
locked up my email client and I had to go into the linux server to
delete it before I could get the rest of my messages.
hal@finney.org wrote:
>
> Eliezer writes:
> > For the record, the impression I got from GATTACA was that genetic
> > engineering worked for physical strength to the extent that an average
> > genemod human would be in, say, the top 1% relative to today's
> > distribution of physiques, but that intelligence engineering would be only
> > the top 10% if it worked at all. Thus a not-very-exceptional exceptional
> > human could easily outcompete an average genemod for brains, but it would
> > be a surprising coincidence if this natural-born prodigy also had a
> > competitive physique.
>
> Right, I think the key to understanding the movie is that the "valids"
> are not actually intellectually superior. It is purely a social
> prejudice which allows them to be treated as such, and as with other
> forms of prejudice it tends to be self-perpetuating. The invalids have
> worse schooling, fewer opportunities, they tend to be poor and working
> in unpleasant jobs, which makes them look less intellectual.
>
> Vincent is like a fair-skinned black man who passes for white, as some
> minorities did during the time of open prejudice. Such individuals could
> excel, free from the judgements that would be applied against the group
> that they were part of, but they lived constantly in fear that their
> true identity would be exposed.
>
> Hal
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon May 28 2001 - 09:50:43 MDT