X-Message-Number: 17012
Subject: Re: Re: Why beings of the future WILL reanimate us
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 21:17:34 -0700 (PDT)
From:  (Peter C. McCluskey)

  (Lee Corbin) writes:
>Message #16984
>Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2001 10:29:28 -0700
>Peter McCluskey wrote
>>Yet you mention the animals with which we cooperate the most. Pigs
>>are about as smart, but because of our interest in eating them, we
>>have much less concern for their interests.
>
>The fact that we have SOME concern for the interests (e.g. feelings)
>of some animals is what is significant.  It is unpersuasive to claim
>that our efforts to treat these animals humanely arises entirely from
>our self interest, unless one starts down the idiotic slope of claiming
>that everything that anyone does is for a selfish reason.

 I am not claiming that our genes never make mistakes. I am claiming that
the rules for our behavior result from our genes' attempts at selfishness.
 You admit we "have some built-in sympathy", yet you seem to have no
theory that would explain what built it in. I.e. you sound like Gould
finding spandrels where I see the results of evolution.

>>When deciding whether to respect the interests of beings not closely
>>related to oneself, the difference between a gene's interests and a
>>person's interests seems unimportant.  I'm still unclear about whether
>>you are advocating ethical systems which require genes to behave
>>altruistically.
>
>It's unbelievable to hear you say this.  My God.  "The difference
>between a gene's interests and a person's interest seems unimportant"?????
>
>Frankly, I don't and shouldn't (and everyone I know doesn't and shouldn't)
>care very much at all about someone's genes, whereas I (and most people)
>care a lot about many people.  I think that you misspoke.

 I don't understand how you managed to interperet my statement that way.
I meant that your interest in the rights of, say, horses is about the
same as your genes' interest in the rights of those horses.
-- 
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Peter McCluskey          | Fed up with democracy's problems? Examine Futarchy:
http://www.rahul.net/pcm | http://hanson.gmu.edu/futarchy.pdf or .ps

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