[ExI] Atlantic article on human reengineering with very strong reactions

[spike]

>. On Behalf Of Anders Sandberg
Subject: Re: [ExI] Atlantic article on human reengineering with very strong
reactions

 

On 13/03/2012 02:31, Max More wrote: 

>>This article is about a paper (co-authored by Anders Sandberg) that
considers ways of reengineering humans so as to "combat" climate change.


>.I liked that Slashdot tagged the article 'troll'. This is probably the
closest I have ever got to actually trolling people.

>.And of course, the only long-term sustainable approach is to become a
solid state civilization...
http://www.aleph.se/andart/archives/2009/03/a_really_green_and_sustainable_h
umanity.html -- Anders Sandberg,

 
 
Anders, I dropped my teeth this morning.  The local AM radio was all over
this story, telling of this NYU professor who was urging his students to do
genetic engineering to make people smaller so that they would be more
environmentally friendly.  Of course that sold me bigtime: I have long
advocated for smaller people.  The advantages are many, once you realize
that so many things scale down as the square and the cube of our linear
dimension.  For instance, if humans were to evolve to half scale, think of
how we could scale down houses and cars.  Our current freeway and road
system would be so very adequate!  Our current farm system would be so
capable of feeding us.  If we were half scale, we would need only a quarter
of the amount of food per person.  Our cars would be the size of shopping
carts, our offices spacious beyond our current ambitions.  Our manned
spacecraft would be increased in volume by a factor of 8, or reduced in mass
by the same.
 
The local radio DJ was horrified, but I thought it was a great idea.
 
The notion isn't to modify our DNA directly, but rather modify our sexual
desires, so that we are attracted to smaller people.  Then the DNA
modification happens by mate selection.
 
spike
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