From: fudley (fuddley@fastmail.fm)
Date: Wed May 26 2004 - 10:50:04 MDT
On Thu, 27 May 2004 "Philip Sutton"
<Philip.Sutton@green-innovations.asn.au> said:
>Can you tell me how would *you* would envisage we could enhance
*wisdom* via genetic engineering??
1) Engineer an emotional and not just intellectual respect for the
scientific method. Ever though it works great, evolution never gave us
the ability to love the scientific method in our gut because for all its
virtues it works too slowly to help much in surviving in the jungle; a
controlled experiment examining the consequences of running and not
running from a Saber Toothed Tiger is not a very good idea. This lack of
respect is the reason we believe in spoon benders, flying saucers,
racism, the image of The Virgin seen in a pizza topping, and God.
2) Engineer a visceral understanding of statistics. Flying is the safest
way to travel yet many people feel safer driving a car even though
statistically it is more dangerous.
3) In general, when we recognize that one of our feelings is irrational
we should always have the ability to change it. Example: Fear of some
snakes is a good idea, fear of all snakes is not; Fear of falling is a
good idea, fear of working on the 24’th floor is not.
John K Clark
--
http://www.fastmail.fm - Or how I learned to stop worrying and
love email again
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