From: Lawrence Foard (entropy@farviolet.com)
Date: Sun Jan 04 2004 - 19:26:15 MST
On Sun, 4 Jan 2004, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> Lawrence Foard <entropy@farviolet.com> writes:
> > On Sat, 3 Jan 2004, Randall Randall wrote:
> >> Even a population made up of exclusively altruistic individuals
> >> would require those individuals to pretend self-interest in
> >> order to find an optimal solution to goods distribution, no?
> >
> > And why wouldn't a society where individuals worked only in others
> > interests not work?
>
> The biologist and Ayn Rand would both answer "parasites", though one
> would mean it more literally than the other.
>
> Once you construct such a system, the benefits of defecting become
> overwhelming. FYI, that's just one of several reasons communism
> doesn't work, but certainly the inevitable rise of the Stalinist elite
> within the group is one of the serious problems.
Yes, thats why it can't be created by force. The only time a communist
like system works is when like minded individuals come together and
make it work. But again humans as we presently exist can only go so
far in that direction for so long.
> > Imagine that the pleasure reward from service
> > is proportional to the good done by the act.
>
> The mutant who doesn't suffer from such wiring defects will then clean
> up, effectively enslaving all others.
Basically it comes down to containment of cancer. I'm not talking about a
pacifist society. Of course the solution need not be always violent, the
designer could put in many layers of safeguards. For example it would make
sense to tie the ability to reproduce to the knowledge that you have been
useful. This would tend to select for creatures most able to make
themselves useful. Given that these are designer beings, certain
properties could be made very resistant to mutation. For example its
important that there ability to judge usefulness remain intact.
Ultimately among a cosmos of these cultures those with the best anti
parasite protections would tend to be selected for. Those that succumb
to parasites would not be able to expand.
-- Laughter-Confusion, Pleasure-Pain, Happyness-Sadness, Excitement-Fear, Love-Hate, etc. The true primary emotions, a modifier makes each into two. This modifier is acceptance/unacceptance. Let go, surrender, accept... Be a counter terrorist perpetrate random senseless acts of kindness
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