[ExI] From Arms Race to Joint Venture

[Ben Zaiboc]

>
>     /> they are the product of natural (i.e. random) processes/
>
>
> A key part of Evolution is natural selection and that is not random.
>
> John K Clark
>

Yes, that was poorly phrased. I meant that randomness is involved, not 
that all natural processes are random. Evolution (and biology in 
general) makes an excellent job of harnessing random events in a 
directed way. It is very inefficient and wasteful, though (a necessary 
part of the process, so far) and I do think we will be able improve on 
it hugely. If we don't wipe ourselves out first, we'll merge biology and 
technology together until they eventually become indistinguishable. I 
find this idea hugely inspiring. It baffles me that so many people bang 
on about how marvellously perfect evolved systems are, when it seems so 
obvious that they're nothing of the kind.

If anyone is tempted to think that biology is some kind of pinnacle of 
perfection and efficiency, I point out how it's full of laughable 
kludges that are locked-in by the evolutionary process. From Okazaki 
fragments to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, evolution produces 
blundering solutions that are only just good enough to survive, and I 
think we will be able to do a *lot* better at some point in the future.

-- 
Ben Zaiboc

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