[ExI] Echoes of the Invincible

[Keith Henson]

On Wed, Jun 26, 2013 at 5:00 AM, Eugen Leitl <eugen at leitl.org> wrote:

snip

> How would you implement a stable goal system in an animal?

Evolution seems to have done that with humans.

The goal from the genetic viewpoint is to reproduce.  But that's not
simple in a social animal so evolution generated psychological
mechanisms that improve the chances.

The most significant one (or so I think anyway) is the human drive for
status in the group.  Makes sense because during the whole of when our
ancestors lived as hunter gatherers it took a certain amount of status
to get a wife . . . or two . . .  or three.

However, if you write about doing things which seem to be driven by
seeking status, then don't get hauled up before a federal judge.  I
was lambasted from the bench over things I had written because I had
figured this out.  (It's much more accepted today, and judges are the
canonical example.)

Keith