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#1 Re: Not So Free Chat » The last refuge of the skeptic? - Is there such a thing as true progress? » 2002-07-23 02:02:46
seems this lord bolingbroke lived in really really depressive times.
it may seem to be like that,civilisation and progress as mere short pleasant times in between greater times of darkness and barbarity.
oh yeah,the great civilisations came and disappeared.(did they really?)
they didnt, they left great impressions,ideas of glory , splendour and a longing for them.they taught us lessons that we use today.
britain was a world power once but it isnt really in ages of darkness either now.
tomorrow united states may not remain as powerfull as now but MARS might as well become the new power centre! 
#2 Re: Terraformation » no real reason to terraform - title say's it all » 2002-07-03 02:25:23
the idea of terraformation is dear to me never since i saw 'total recall ' as a kid.
somehow that "artficial biosphere"idea upon a very hostile planet surface seems too fragile to my idea of space colonisation.
maybe it is just an emotional vestige but i would feel real comfortable if somehow we remain as human as possible when we move out of earth.
???
#3 Re: Terraformation » Mars as a base camp - Why we shouldn't terraform » 2002-07-01 07:22:42
i really dont think the american pioneers would like to listen to that!
are we ashamed of them now?
cmmon, terraforming is a fantastic idea.how can anybody who is here ever detest something so wonderfull like that?
gimme a break!
#4 Re: Terraformation » When should we terraform » 2002-06-28 07:44:49
Depends on how you define "survival of the fittest." According to the late Stephen Jay Gould, this doesn't always mean dog-eat-dog but sometimes implies that creatures can best cooperate to find an advantage against nature. Many symbiotic relationships between species are in this category, particularly in regions where nature has the upper hand and there are few species inhabiting large tracts of land (i.e., the Siberian tundra).
I especially find it odd how some people think Darwinism can be applied to societies and politics. Natural selection has nothing to do with creating a culture that seeks to reward the greediest and merciless members of its society. I think ants make a good example of a society that couldn't exist efficiently if its members were in continuous turmoil with each other. I think Hitler proved fairly effectively what kind of society we'll end up with if we go to pains to weed out those we don't think have a right to live as a kind of "forced" natural selection.
I think Hitler proved fairly effectively what kind of society we'll end up with if we go to pains to weed out those we don't think have a right to live as a kind of "forced" natural selection.
who is going to decide what is best for whom?
how are we going to get out of tricky situations like above?
isnt all this talk about being 'just' to the rest of the species just a sort of 'moral insurance' against a possible exploitation of ourselves by somebody else.?(justify action against a Godly retribution?)
i believe in future if genetic 'enablisation' of human babies becomes a reality then 'naturally' born 'less enabled' /diseased children would grow up to sue their parents for depriving them of a happier life.(is this too far fetched?)
there were times when we could leave such questions of ethics to an entity called GOD and HIS proponents(and largely still influenced by the same in a majority of the world)
nevertheless if human have to continue this dream of life then certainly something should be done about the ethics of exploitation.
symbiosis is likely contender ,its like evolution isnt it?
and evolution is a 'natural' process! 
#5 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Chimps on mars - what rights are purely human? » 2002-06-26 07:37:32
hi
i respect the sentiments expressed here,but it seems we are ignoring something fundamental ,concerning use of genetics and space expansion.
if terraforming of mars is possible and we can dream of altering the 'natural' martian atmosphere according to our 'needs',altering the 'chimps' natural environment and training them according to our needs etc(just about everything that man has ever done to make himself comfortable has been by modifying the nature);
then why do we fear to use genetics for our own benefit?
fear seems to be the right word because the immense possiblities really scare us out of our wits.
but like phobos said"...it can be done,it will be done"
and if that might happen ,people should evolve some strategy to ensure that we do not have to face some "super race" that enslaves the rest but a very benign form of this technology leading to fewer"natural abortions", "natural" congenitally malformed and mentally retarded children and a lot many other genetic and genetically influenced diseases.
mankind it seems has again' stolen the fire' and we can use it to light our way through the future.
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