On 01/20/2014 02:40 PM, glen wrote:
If we push the metaphor, I would argue that the humans that constitute totalitarian regimes are _normal_ humans.
Depends what you mean by normal. Some epigenetic change, say, caused by a toxic environment or poor diet or lifestyle choices, might cause proteins to express at an unusual rate, or cause tumor suppressing cells (e.g. civil servants, teachers, civil rights advocates, etc.) to fail to reproduce at a fast enough rate. All that matters is that clonal evolution tips in a different direction. The causes of that could be very complex, but in the end still be populated by lots of `normal' cells. I think the interesting part on both sides of the metaphor are probably more on the adaptive (immune system) end than on the static side (DNA / laws / religion).
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