Subject:
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Re: Future of Humanity (was: lotsa stuff)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 30 Oct 2001 09:16:03 GMT
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Viewed:
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869 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Low writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Ross Crawford writes:
> > > >
> > > > That may be so, but I would think that most people who have a middling
> > > > understanding of evolution would agree that intelligence has little (if any)
> > > > effect on it.
> > >
> > > Except to stop it. Which we are in the process of doing, and which was my
> > > original point!
> >
> > We may, in the end, cause our own extinction, in which case I guess you could
> > say we're currently in the process of stopping our evolution, but I think it's
> > a pretty big stretch. As I've said before, I think humanity will eventually
> > become extinct anyway - so I guess we're witnessing our extinction.
>
> I understood Larry's point differently, in that optimistically we might
> never go extinct (technology propelling us beyond the earth, the solar
> system, the galaxy, the universe...), but in terms of biological evolution
> we're more or less at a dead end (deliberate genetic manipulation aside[1]).
>
> I think speciation of humans on earth is unlikely: if anything we're
> homogenising. Once we colonise space though I think it's almost inevitable,
> if fertile humans can be conceived and born in non-earth gravity.
>
> Of course all this flesh based evolution will be academic when we
> collectively upload to the net. Could be useful as a source of new
> personalities I suppose.
>
> --DaveL
>
> [1] That's a whopping aside. I think the ethicists are way behind the eight
> ball on this.
> My tips, and you heard it here first:
> 2002: designer human v1.0
> tested for genetic abnormalities, gender in vitro
> 2003: first cloned human being born
> 2004: designer humanoid v1.0
> nonhuman DNA incorporated in a viable human embryo
> 2005: first fatherless girl born
> 2006: genetic therapy in post-natal humans begins
> 2007: designer human v2.0
> selected for intelligence, attractiveness etc
> 2009: designer human v2.5
> this tiime selection for traits actually works
> 2012: designer human v3.0
> gene therapy in utero, both on clones and naturals where necessary
> in vitro selected naturals comprise 10% of births
> 2013: designer humanoid v2.0
> first humanoids born with a partially non-human phenotype (super strength)
> 2015: designer human v4.0
> complete control over recombination: any combination of parents possible
> 2020: artificial womb
> first motherless children born
> 2025: post-natal genetic manipulation for non-therapeutic purposes
2030: designer human v5.0
The baby can change its own nappy.
:)
Scott A
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Future of Humanity (was: lotsa stuff)
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| (...) I understood Larry's point differently, in that optimistically we might never go extinct (technology propelling us beyond the earth, the solar system, the galaxy, the universe...), but in terms of biological evolution we're more or less at a (...) (23 years ago, 30-Oct-01, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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