Doomsday vs Utopia

• The Adaptive Gap and the Future of Civilization by Mike Hall, 7/3/98
  • Doomsday but Not for These Reasons by James Brody, 7/3/98
    
    

While technology may not be "the problem" per say - there is certainly the appearance of the cart driving the horse - Thoreau's, "Things are in the saddle and ride mankind" sort of thing - those inexorable market forces. While I certainly have as many 'Gee Whiz' genes as the next person, there are the so-called Laws of Unintended Consequences which provide deleterious feed-back loops. If the Irish Elk could wish for one thing - it would be ever larger antlers with which to attract mates. Well....

One thing that puzzles me is that there is so little attention paid to what sort of world we as a species would like to live in as an ideal. I realize that there are many utopian visions around, beginning perhaps with Plato's Republic. Most, of course, have been written by males, and generally portray an economic system concerned with providing material abundance and social order. Lately there have been portrayals of feminist utopias. These seem more concerned with communitarian values and settings devoid of aggressive male dominance. I suspect that a study of gender differences in descriptions of utopias might shed some light on respective features associated with human nature. (I also would guess that most males would regard these feminine utopias as "particularly unrealistic!)

But getting back to technology - there are a number of dystopian books about that are more grimly portentous. Sean Stewart has written one which is described as follows:

"In a world where cities are dying and vigilante groups are killing "sinners", freelance hunters are encouraged to capture criminals whose executions are then televised. But one of these freelancers can see and feel the pain of others and sets out to change an evil system."

A pot boiler perhaps. But the power of traits such as empathy may serve as governors against certain unintended consequences of technological fascination at the expense of, for example, child labor.

bill

• Polished Toolkits by Mary Beth Coggins, 7/7/98
  • Rusty Toolkits by Mike Hall, 7/15/98
    • On the Rate of Genetic Adaptation by Mat Huff, 7/30/98
      • Rate of Genetic Adaptations in Humans by M. Hall, 7/30/98
        • Human Evolution? by Mary Beth Coggins, 7/31/98
          • See discussions near the top by (No author), 8/2/98
          • I'll Be The Guinea Pig by Mat Huff, 8/5/98
            • Thanks for being the guinea pig!! by Mary Beth Coggins, 8/17/98
            • Thanks for being thoughtful by M. Hall, 9/5/98
              • Hold the Stage Coach! And let's Speculate for a moment... by Ginger Kirk, 1/9/99
      • Extended Phenotypes by James Brody, 8/2/98
• A Dystopic Future? by Mike Hall, 7/15/98
  • Adaptation is not the slave's problem... by bill, 7/20/98
    • I Agree, but technology shapes our environment by Mike Hall, 9/16/98
      • Extended Phenotypes by James Brody, 9/17/98