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So what do humans need to survive into the future? What kind of future can
humans create for themselves and their descendants? It's difficult to answer
for many reasons, including that the basis of human ecology, a long term
energy supply, is not in use yet. Still, much of humanities future already
lies within humanity.
Maybe this should list what this might accomplish and what it probably won't accomplish. It will be progress, but what progress? How about it will free us from fear, want and ignorance or life, liberty and the persuit of happiness. Those sound like good goals that I have heard
of somewhere before and fit here some.
Note that this is intended to be the expansion of a meme. This entire book is
the parts of a single related, "integral" idea. If it is created properly, you
can learn from it and you are most likely not going to know when you learned
it, because it will just fit into what you already know.
It will free us from fear of disease. Maybe we can do the same thing with some nanotechnology, super drugs along with quarantine procedures. Maybe it will take genetic improvement, drugs and technology just to survive. In any case, if current events around SARS is any example, people are going to live in a well founded fear of diseases.
Will we be free of want? Could you imagine how much more productive we could be if people were all healthy, if they were more skilled, better learners and they had more advanced methods of cooperation. It could be argued that much crime would not exist if people were more intelligent and if we had better philosophies. Besides, this is not just about using artificial selection or developing moralities, it is about humans doing those things to find a new niche to survive in. That means that the goal is to create and adapt to an ecology that we can survive in. That will not happen unless humans get very good solutions to their resource needs.
Freedom from ignorance. What a concept. Would we still be human then? I say we would, because humans have a potential for greatness.
One of the biggest problems on the entire earth is tribalism. It is a survival method, but at the same time it is the source of so much warfare and destruction it is almost unimaginable. The Racism Essay describes how artificial selection could make tribalism a thing of the past.
In a more general sense, artificial selection could be used to raise the average intelligence of humans. Some of the implications of this are discussed elsewhere, but here I refer to it as freedom from ignorance.
Racism Essay
Humans are entering such a completely new niche that it is not
possible that we could be adapted to it. No race or tribe has what
it will take to survive in the future. It will take all the potentials
currently available to humanity and more.
Racial issues were not the main focus of this study. This paper
is really based around a particular consequence of medicine and other
modern forces on natural selection. To do this though, required that a
great deal of diverse information about humans be collected and
understood. Some of the issues covered, relate to racial issues.
Humanity faces a larger problem, but the solution to that problem
will ultimately solve current problems of racial relations. It can also
offer some short term hope. Something that has sometimes been missing
from these issues.
I had to accumulate a great deal of information to
figure this all out. I will summarize a couple of points.
1. C.D.Darlington - "The Evolution of Man and Society". An
incredible book that describes human genetics through history
and explains the significance of hybridization. It is the
primary way that humans have evolved since the beginnings of
the cities and maybe before. His work makes the obvious point
that race is more a political term than biological one. The
more accurate description of how humans genetically vary is
"tribe".
The first part of my paper, parts of which are on my web site,
is mostly a technical discussion of human ecology and genetics
derived from his work. It discusses a lot of history of natural
hybridization and its consequences.
According to Darlington, historically racism was a caste system.
There were different tribes/societies living together,
but occupationally specialized and seperate. Religion prevented
intermarriage and perpetuated each society.
I have to say that this is accurate stuff, but it is very
out of context. Racial issues are an implication of my work, but
are not the main point. Here are some points that describe how this
work relates to racism in the context of hybridization.
1. The downside of hybridization is that the first generation
(F1) of hybrids is "superior" to the parent generation (P).
After that, the next generations (F2...) are likely to be
"inferior" to the parental generation. In history, natural
selection has taken care of this and selected for the superior,
stable hybrids. That has been human progress. Realize, humans
instinctively know this and so know why, under present
conditions, the races/tribes cannot be merged. This study says
how it can be done.
2. Much of current "human progress" is largely a matter of
removing natural selective effects. We will naturally develop a
genetic load from this. That will be disasterous. The simplest
safest solution to this would be to do pre-implantation artificial
selection. I know that is pretty controvercial in itself, but
I have extensive responces to that. It passes the palatability
tests. In short form, it wouldn't hurt the family.
Most people that I have mentioned pre-implantation selection to
reply with "why would I want to do that". I respond that "you are
healthy and intelligent, but what if you had diabetes or a
hereditary heart condition. What would you do to prevent your
children from getting that?" They usually see my point then. I
can also say "what do you respect the most about yourself or your
mate? Wouldn't you want to insure that your child inherited it.
There is no guarantee you know." Actually there is a lot more to it
and even better reasons, but those are much easier to understand when I
am talking to you.
All races will develop a genetic load.
In Chapter 5 is described how we can introduce pre-implantation
selection so that the hybrids are consistently equel or "superior"
to the previous generations. It also says why we must.
It also includes a description of how and why people can come
together and why they have not in the past. There are good and simple
reasons why the tribes have stayed apart in the past, but don't have
to in the future. It says that present concepts of inferiority or
superiority take on entirely different meanings, such that differences
between races and tribes can be discussed rationally and without
animosity.
There are lots of implications to this. Not only could the
races mix, but there would now be advantages to it. Humans could
no longer think in terms of "inferior" or "superior" and the
natural problems of hybridization, they would think in terms of
"what genes do you have that I don't and could use". While it is
a statement about genetics, it will effect beliefs all through
society. Not only that, but as far as I have been able to test,
the idea is a natural one that does not conflict with instinct.
3. If you use artificial selection, other potentials open up.
The disaster of genetic load can be prevented, but it is best
to look at this in these terms.
a. The first potential is that we could remove most genetic
diseases and genetic based weaknesses... genetic load.
b. The second potential is that we could increase the frequency
of "superior" traites. Everyone could have health, beauty and
brains.
c. The third potential is that the human race could become
"post tribal". Racism would be meaningless. Individuals would
have the best genetic potentials of the different present
races.
These statements are both simple and complex. That is
why I wrote a long paper to discuss them further. Still, it
really starts as a needed solution to an oncoming problem.
Secondarily is how it could effect humans so as to change a
number of other problems and make them go away, racism
included.
As far as racism, this stuff gives short term hope and
a long term solution.
Much of the basis of this study relates to a look at what would be
called Western Culture, but the conclusions apply to all races. What we
call Western civilization is descended primarily from four tribal
groups, Sumerians, Semites, Indo Europeans and Celts. What happened to
them and how they came together, says much about how modern racial
issues can ultimately be resolved. This does not depend on wishful
thinking or better human nature, instead it relies on human self
interest.
Chapter 3 describes C.D. Darlington's description of how the tribes
and races came together that created what is called the Western Peoples.
This study will have to be repeated for all the peoples of the world.
If you compare human genetics to the genetics of cheetas, it can
point to different levels to of selection. Cheetas are a very
non-diverse species as opposed to humans which are about the most
diverse animal specie of all. In chapter 5 is a complete discussion
why that is important and how it relates to what is happening to human
genetics.
What we don't know or is different, we tend to fear. What we fear,
we tend to hate.
In natural conditions, it is hard for the races to intermingal.
Races differ. Some are stronger and some are weaker.
Instinctively, humans know the consequences of this and they are
dire enough that they can never be admitted. The consequence is
the eventual demise of the "inferior" race(s). Under present
circumstances this is truth. For that reason, that fact cannot be
admitted. I can say it though, because I know a way out. My work
says how to change this equation. This will be a win win situation
for everybody. All races have superior components that can be of
benefit to other races.
This paper rarely touchs on any topic that sounds like
"inferior" or "superior", but a person must understand their
strengths and admit their weaknesses before they can do
anything with them. Before, nothing could be done. I am
saying how individuals, familys, tribes and races can now
improve themselves by enhancing their strengths. If they don't
want to, they will not survive and others will.
I can talk race to people because I know the truth, tell
it and know what optomistic potentials there are. Think of what the
racial issue would look like if a person were looking at other races
and thinking about what genes they might have to offer.
I think it was Mark Twain that said that if one morning,
we all woke up the same, we would have our new prejudices in place
by the afternoon. That may not be entirely true. With a bit more
intelligence and some new understandings, we may become a single, great
people.
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