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

[Robin Hanson]

At 04:28 PM 8/23/2005, Eliezer S. Yudkowsky wrote:
>>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.
>
>No, this is your genes' goal.  *Your* goals are to love, to live, to 
>have fun, to have sex, to eat good food rich and sugar in fat, to 
>increase your status, to find a good long-term mate, to raise 
>children together, etc. etc.

Genes gave most people goals like these in an attempt to achieve the 
genes' goals.  So you may well find that you have goals like 
these.  But in a sense you can choose your goals.  If you want to 
identify with your genes, or your memes, or your nation, well then 
helping those things can be what you want.  Of course it is easy to 
fool yourself into thinking you want something unusual, when in fact 
you really want what most everyone else wants.


Robin Hanson  rhanson at gmu.edu  http://hanson.gmu.edu
Associate Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326  FAX: 703-993-2323