[extropy-chat] Singularity Drugs

[Jef Allbright]

On 4/16/06, spike <spike66 at comcast.net> wrote:
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat-
> > bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of John K Clark
> > Subject: Re: [extropy-chat] Singularity Drugs
> >
> > Robert Bradbury wrote:
> >
> > > John, can you *prove* that evolution
> > > never came up with supersonic flight?
> >
> > No of course not. Outside of pure mathematics you can never *prove* that
> > something has never existed...   John K Clark
>
> If we are talking about this particular planet, we can prove that natural
> supersonic flight never existed (until 1947 when evolution produced Chuck
> Yeager's plane.)  The proof would go thus: evolution produced jet propulsion
> in some sea creatures (defined loosely, in squids) but not in land beasts.
...

> If the panspermia theorists are correct, Yeager would not be the first beast
> to travel at supersonic speeds, but rather the title would go to the
> bacteria that were on the rock that fell to Earth from elsewhere, perhaps
> Mars.  If the panspermia theorists are not correct, Yeager still loses out
> to those beasts that resided in or upon the earth based rock that was struck
> by an incoming meteor that then exited at supersonic speeds from the impact.
>
> What a silly topic for a Sunday morning.  {8-]

Your silliness is appreciated, Spike, and it's (almost) always in the
way of expanding our view of a topic, which is also appreciated.

Agree that Anders is truly missed from this list, but it's good to see
that he remains active in developing awareness and understanding of
extropian issues.  I understand he'll be speaking at Stanford late in
May.

Regarding Bill K's comment on neuronal growth, I think the point was
that upon adulthood, the mode is one of *slow* growth of neuronal
variation generating the requisite variety for selection.  During
childhood the process is dominated by the selection (pruning) of many
times more neuronal connections.  An article on the front page of the
LA Times just this week referred to recent developments in this area
confirming growth of new neurons in several areas of the brain, but
the spin for the popular audience seemed to be on the plasticity of
personality rather than the more fundamental process of evolution
(variation followed by selection) as fundamental to growth of
knowledge models.

- Jef