[ExI] "Olympics on steroids" takes a high-tech, F1-style angle on athletics

[spike at rainier66.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Kelly Anderson via extropy-chat

>...Subject: Re: [ExI] "Olympics on steroids" takes a high-tech, F1-style angle on athletics

>... But there is the arms race that seems like it will always end with needing to take the biggest chances in order to have the best chance of winning. Consider an alcoholic's olympics ...

Ja.  People (especially the young) will do self-destructive things to win.  A good example is the now-mostly-extinct philosophy in training: no pain, no gain.  So... plenty of high school cross country runners would train with weights on our ankles, under the theory that it would help us build endurance and muscle bulk.  It caused knee damage from repetitive strain injury.  But we didn't care, that won't show up until later.  We want to win races NOW!


 >...The Catholic church exploding into thousands of brands of Christianity shows that schism is the way with people... -Kelly

Point taken, and I agree, however the specific example of fracturing of Christianity has an alternative and interesting explanation.  In any faith organization, a hierarchy forms naturally.  This must be supported financially somehow.  The retired ranking members of that hierarchy must be supplied with a pension.  

Over time this obligation to support the hierarchy creates a financial incentive to form a schism which is free of that burden.  So... the schism forms and grows until it develops its own financial incentives for breakaway groups to free themselves from the obligation of supporting the past.  This can be done over a minor disagreement in dogma, which makes faith groups in general highly susceptible to fractionation.

spike