[extropy-chat] is spreading ones own genes relevant, or just an anachronism ?

[user]

I am informed by both my own (very powerful) instinctual urges and
tendencies, and by works of authors (such as Jared Diamond in The 3rd
Chimpanzee) that it is my goal to spread my genetic material, or progeny,
as far and as wide and as varied as possible.

This information suggest that I am a winner in this game/race in as much
as i spread my own genes, and a loser inasmuch as I do not.  In fact, JD
suggests in that book that the ultimate loser is the individual who spends
energy raising the offspring of an non-relation instead of its own
offspring.

So my question is:

- in a post-technology, but pre-singularity world, should I be thinking,
on any level, about this particular progeny contest ?  Or is it, even now
in a pre-singularity world, a hopeless anachronism ?

- I feel as if I have a duty to reproduce, and further, to reproduce well,
which is based on a belief that the existence of the human race is a good,
and I want it to continue.  Should I also be examining my own self as an
individual, and deciding if my own lineage is also a "good" and should
continue, independently of my duty to the race as a whole ?

- Is it incorrect to think that perhaps the continued evolution of mankind
is currently being retarded by the de facto situation of monogamous
male/female interaction followed by 1 to 2.5 children ?  It seems to me
that if we were competing in a free market, so to speak, the number of
offspring would correlate to the fittest of individuals, which on a macro
scale would be positive for the race.

On the other hand:

- could it be argued that, at least for human beings, the benefits of a
two parent, nuclear family outweigh a greater number of semi-anonymously
raised children?  That over the long term, 2-4 well raised and nurtured
children will carry ones genes farther than 30 randomly sprouted ?

- Is the current prevalance of the nuclear family around the world proof
that my immediately previous question is in fact true ?


Let me boil it down to this:

Any reasonably successful american male could very easily travel the world
producing offspring with willing and grateful women, and arranging for its
reasonable (anonymous or not) support.  In this manner one could not only
spread ones genes quite far geographically, but one could also hedge ones
bets both individually and racially.  Current wealth disparities make this
easy and inexpensive (and probably not very time consuming
either).  Intercourse itself need not even be involved.

So my question is, why aren't people doing this ?  Why aren't _you_ doing
this ?  Why shouldn't or should I do this ?

Why should I care specifically about my own genes, and why should I
attempt to maxmize their distribution, in this, the post-technological but
pre-singularity age ?  And if the answer is "I shouldn't", then why is it
different now than it was when this _was_ important ?

Finally, what can I read to learn more about current thought on this
subject ?  I read JDs 3rd chimpanzee, and have "the selfish gene" on order
... what else should I read ?  what concepts and definitions should I be
familiar with ?