CopyRight @ 1996
08/21/94 Considers 2 things - viral diseases showing up as predators
- possible speciation of castes
A moral system refers to a learned survival strategy. Some
other species of animals used learned behaviors, but they are
qualitatively different from those used by humans.
An animals survival strategy does not usually consider the
effect of its actions in relation to other individuals. When it
does, we call that social behavior. Much of the basis of human
survival strategy is based on cooperation. Any human moral system
considers how individuals interact. All human tribes conciously
promote regulated levels and systems of cooperation and
competition. The more advanced the moral system, the more the
individual is aware of the effects of their actions, on their
various different social groups.
Life appeared on earth shortly after it started to solidify.
The appearence of organismal life took another 500 million years.
The creation of cooperation is difficult.
Morality In The Future
The question is how can moralities be developed for the
future based on the premises of this book? At least to some
degree.
individual, family and society (commmunity) moral systems
1. Individual
a. Sanitation educations.
Disease vectors and hygenic practices
b. Philosophical perspective - open or closed.
2. Family
3. Social moral systems
a. Compair Plato's republic with a model where there can be no
genetic flow between castes.
b. Compair that to a small hybrid society (under constraint of
disease).
It is likely that a respiritory viral disease will apppear
to replace the missing natural selective effect on humans. It
will fill the niche of predator. Population density dictates that
a disease will appear. Since medicine seems able to control most
non-viral pathogens, viral it will be. AIDS was the precursor.
Luckily the AIDS vectors are somewhat restricted. Whatever
disease does show up, its characteristic will be that humans
will not be able to stop it from becoming a major selective
effect. If an air transmitted disease with a high fatality
appears with the incubation period of AIDS, the human race well
might not survive.
In any case, the only survival responce for humns to such a
disease would be isolated populations. This may be a major reason
for the early rise of religions. This may also be the ultimate
reason for humans trying to live in space... escape from disease.=
c. Discuss large hybrid society.
3a. Plato's Republic Revisited
Much of this discussion is about a change in human genetic
nature. Due to various factors, the tribes and castes are mixing. We are
changing from a tribal society to a global community. This is
largely due to the technology of transportation. Colonization of
the world was by boat...
Mr Plato creeated a model of a society so as to examine some
of the workings of the societies of his day. It was described as
an island so as to simplify the model. He described it as having
four castes. Peasents to provide the food. Craftsmen to make
tools, public works and buildings. Warriors, of which the Greeks
had plenty of knowledge. Lastly were philosopher kings or priest
kings, who's role was to lead the society in peace, war, natural
crisis and moral crisis.
To make it short, this is where we (civil-ization) have come
from. The multi-tribal stratified society. Castes represent
tribes and the reproductive separations of tribes. This is all
described and defined by C. D. Darlington. Mr. Darlington also
pointed out the weakness of this systems stability. The castes,
tribes, reproductive populations, were not truely isolated. War,
slavery and other factors caused gene flow between the
populations. Within castes, the tribes widely hybridized. If they
had not, by the Biological Specie Concept,
(BSC), the different castes would have been different specie due
to reproductive isolation. Castes are reproductively isolated
naturally by habit, tradition and the consequences of selection.
The occupations are defined, what is the role of a caste hybrid?
Selection would be against them anyway. Still, it works out that
they were not completely isolated. Besides slavery, thare are a
multitude of reasons that the castes would intermingle. The
tribes mixed and there was no stoping it. That is us or at least
it is our history during the time of the cities.
Consider Plato's model of the Republic, but add a definition
to it that may have been implied. Consider his model with some
complete barrier to hybridization between the castes. They are
completely reproductively isolated. Assume the republic had a
large river valley that regularly flooded. This was one of the
primary agricultural resources. The rest of the agriculture was
carried out on terraces on the sides of hills. This describes a
relatively stable ecology, in terms of energetics, reproduction
and habit. It would be expected that the different hereditary
castes would further specialize towards their niche. The castes
would genetically diverge over time and isolation until they
would become truely reproductively incompatable. Each caste would
have their part in a complicated symbiotic dance that would make
up the society.
What is the moral consequence of a hybridized society.
Consider this model in light of actual conditions. Focus on
the genetic consequences. Aside from other differences, the
castes are not reproductively isolated. It is a matter of how the
genes and traites can mix. Then it is a matter of how they fit
into the society that exists. Caste hybrids do not fit into the
stratified society. How they fit in a classed society is another
question.
Many tribes may make up an occupational caste. The
occupational caste defines the niche. The tribes that survived to
present were able to fill the niche. They fulfill the occupational
niche by use of different genetic traites that can accomplish the
same things. The civil castes are international and already
tribally hybridized within their castes. Advanced technology can
utilize the talents of the caste hybrid. The complexities of the
modern world can demand the versatility of the hybrid.
Can the castes hybridize because the tribes already have, to
make up the castes?
How does the model look now? Presently we use class for the
organization of the occupational differences in the social
system. It is similar, but provides more mobility and more
potential for hybridization, as well as more need.
Will disease force humans to live in somewhat isolated
popultions of small size? Will we live without disease and risk
loss of the immune system. Will we live in populations with
diseases such that if a person weakens they will immediatly be
subject to major infections (model of uncontrolled predator or
selective effect)? These are natural systems.
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