-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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As I read through all the ideas, there seems to be a great many begaviorists nad cultural communications people that feel that large groups of people's behavior will be predictable to some scientific degree or another. Sounds a lot like the work of Asiamov's Foundation.
Here's mine:
I believe that we have yet to fully recover from the destruction of the Alexandrian Library and the Dark Ages that followed (imagine being held back in the third grade until you were 18- us being about 30 now).
I believe that science will enable us functuional immortality but most will not accept it...or will accept it for only a limited period of time before allowing themselves to succomb to oblivior or whatever afterlife awaits us.
I believe that, while we probably will not contact other civilizations physically for thousands of years (if ever), markers have been established to let anyone of sufficent inteligence to know we ware not alone- possibly something as glaring as information encoded in a Quasar's emissions.
I also believe that through genetic manipulation for environmental specialization, that our species will branch off in many directions: effectively, we'll become aliens to ourselves.
Now, isn't this more fun than the old "New Year's Resolution schtick?
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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Cartman
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Human-level artificial intelligence without a fucking singularity devouring us all.
Tangential to that, patterning of human consciousness and memory.
Unification of general relativity and quantum mechanics.
Tangential to THAT, anti-gravity and tachyonics.
Oh, and perfect spell-checkers. B)
Registered: Nov 1999
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Jason: Though I speet at your treacherous and perhaps lecherous "New Years Res"-jab , I am surprised to see so many of the philosophers and brainiacs repeat the same hopes, faith and beliefs in future human closeness.
I haven't read more than half the pages yet but have already seen more than ten entries with persons believing humanity will discover more truths and tools relating to cooperation, altruism, shared group goals of the human collective and a decline in the elitist competition/winner model, hailing from the Darwinian mindset (the phenomenon behind wars and reality shows, the two most wretched hives of scum and villainy in history).
Anyway, I'm glad these people are so positive and optimistic. Several of the writers even seemed to believe that simply having faith that people will have more faith will further the cause itself.
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Well, one entry is about the belief that people are "biologically hardwired" to believe in some hogher power. That we feel better and are generally healither (blood pressure, stress etc.) when we feel that"higher connection".
Now that's cynical!
I fart in your general direction, Nim! (besides, that New Years thread seems to have stalled early)
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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Yes, well New Years is only for a few days, then the hoi polloi turns to other sights and sassies. I think that thread played its part, though.
quote:Well, one entry is about the belief that people are "biologically hardwired" to believe in some hogher power.
I think it's more a psychological phenomenon. When stone age people suffered hardships or saw things they didn't understand or were horrified by (tree struck by lightning, mammoth giving birth) their stressed-out brains had to react in some way to rationalize things. And then, when they developed widespread speech, someone inevitably had to screw the pooch and ask "why are we here?".
As for your mention of a hog power, that's where I get most of my inspiration. I would even venture to say that all human males have a degree of hog power they can call upon, for better or worse. Girls don't need it. We have opposable thumbs but they have opposable brainhalves.
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Cartman
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"Now that's cynical!"
Read The God Gene by Dean Hamer and/or Why God Won't Go Away by Andrew Newberg. It's almost certainly a genetic thing.
Registered: Nov 1999
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I'm down with hog power- give me a chinese buffett and you'll see those caveman instincts brought to the surface in no time....particularly over those sweet spearribs.
Dont worry about your thread playing out though: In a few more months, we'll see some new member resurrect it as their first post.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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quote:Originally posted by Cartman: "Now that's cynical!"
Read The God Gene by Dean Hamer and/or Why God Won't Go Away by Andrew Newberg. It's almost certainly genetic.
Noted...but that might be a touch too depressing. I've had enough mind-churning genetics for the month of January.
I just finished reading Darwin's Radio for the second time...Greg Bear is the premire sci-fi writer of the past twenty years.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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Cartman
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They might be, yeah, because neither is actually sci-fi. Sure read like it, though.
-------------------- ".mirrorS arE morE fuN thaN televisioN" - TEH PNIK FLAMIGNO
Registered: Nov 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Sol System: Re Greg Bear: No he isn't.
Dan Simmons then- yes...definitely.
quote:Originally posted by Cartman: Oh, I hear those go great with some Chinese buffetts.
Hey, You were the one who though we'd have "perfect spell checkers"...me, i'm not so optimistic. Mabye I'll get a spell-checker implant one day...
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
, I am surprised to see so many of the philosophers and brainiacs repeat the same hopes, faith and beliefs in future human closeness.![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
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