Re: Evolution WAS Re: Optimum number of symbols

On Sat, 25 May 2002 11:42, JS Bangs wrote:
> Raymond Brown sikyal:
> > >Evolution goes both ways, but in the field of technology, the
> > >accumulative effect (two steps forward, one step back) goes towards
> > >progress.
> >
> > Like, er, the production of nuclear weapons. Yep, a great advance in
> > evolution since the primitive spear.  You can kill only one guy at time
> > with a spear; obviously we need progress...
>
> Indeed.  If your goal is killing people, developing nuclear weapons is a
> fabulous improvement, offering approximately a 100000% increase over the
> most efficient ways to kill people before.  Do you have any idea how long
> it would take to kill 60,000 Japanese people with a spear?
It's a damn improvement on a spear for facing a rhino, for example. ;)  One
nuclear weapon and you have no more rhino charging to fear.  Or hunting deer
- flash-fried deer!  ;)   <:^(

>
> Technology does, in fact, do a fabulous job of improving whatever you're
> hoping to improve.  If you want to place blame, don't put it on
> "technology," but on those who decide that destruction is the thing that
> needs to be worked on.
Or on those who have no idea just what they are doing with it.  Yellow-cake's
one hell of a thing to smell on a girl's breath.

Wesley Parish

>
> > >Technology builds on itself, and who knows where it will
> > >end.
> >
> > Armageddon??
>
> We can only hope.
>
>
> Jesse S. Bangs jaspax@u.washington.edu
>
> "If you look at a thing nine hundred and ninety-nine times, you are
> perfectly safe; if you look at it the thousandth time, you are in
> frightful danger of seeing it for the first time."
> --G.K. Chesterton
--
Mau e ki, "He aha te mea nui?"
You ask, "What is the most important thing?"
Maku e ki, "He tangata, he tangata, he tangata."
I reply, "It is people, it is people, it is people."