Questions Only VI: How Much Is Too Much?

[RJDiogenes]

But don't parents co-exist with children, and progenitor species co-exist with progeny species?

[scottydog]

True, but 200 years from now, when you should be dead, your robotic self would be contaminating your descendants with your antiquated views.

Did I just insult you?

You know what I mean, I hope. Your views are NOT antiquated, by today's standards. But in 200 years they will be. Don't they need to go away?

[RJDiogenes]

Doesn't that presume constant progress? Aren't the beliefs of the current generation destructive and in need of correction?

More importantly, are my 21st-century views enough to sentence me to death?!?!

[scottydog]

Not a death sentence, just a general truth that old ideas need to give way to new ones.

Progress is definitely not constant. Why do you suppose it zigs and zags?

[RJDiogenes]

Don't people generally blunder around nearsightedly in the darkness of the universe?

[scottydog]

But if people blunder, how has the human race not gone extinct by now?

[RJDiogenes]

Well, random blundering would lead to success 50% of the time, so if humans have just a bit of intelligence, wouldn't that raise them above the minimum threshold for survival?

[scottydog]

So you're saying we have barely enough intelligence to (slightly) more than compensate for our chronic blundering?

[RJDiogenes]

Would that explain both human history and the range of intelligence in the species?

[scottydog]

Yes

But it also has me thinking that there MUST be some alien species who are far, far smarter than their blundering -- at least compared to humans. Would you agree?

[RJDiogenes]

What if Humanity is the smartest of all intelligent life forms in the Universe?

[scottydog]

If true, could that explain the Fermi Paradox?

Wouldn't you be a bit disappointed if there weren't alien species far smarter than we are? Or would too much of an intelligence gap bring in the possibility that they'd view as as expendable? (I'm thinking of To Serve Man, of course )

[RJDiogenes]

Doesn't it seem unlikely that more intelligent aliens would be that unsympathetic? Did you ever read Condescension of the Starlings?

[scottydog]

One would think that intelligence and enlightenment would be correlated. Perhaps they are, but I doubt it's a perfect correlation.

I really enjoyed reading Condescension of the Starlings -- well done

Have you published it anywhere?

[RJDiogenes]

Thank you. I've shopped it around a little, but no takers yet.

Do you think the biology of an alien species can affect what is ethical for them?