Ulysses as I said, it's nothing to do with appearence at this point, indeed propper sf and fantasy went beyond that in the 1950's, ---- and some land mark writers as I said such as Lewis were thinking about it even earlier, (the lewis sf book I mention was written in 1937). As to genetically hating, well get me a full map of the human genome and a full causal chain of every hormone and I'll tell you how to create genetic hatred :D.

Remember we're dealing with science fiction here so we're dealing with probable scientific knolidge, ---- though equally I would class something like the daleks as a fantasy creation in a lot of ways since we do not have that kind of biological, deterministic certainty in reality, and indeed I would question on a philosophical level whether it would even be possible.

My point with the Daleks wasn't the method of their creation, --- -which could equally have been robotic or magical or some other method, but to illustrate the fact that a Dalek simply doesn't have the choice to change their psychology or perspective from an evil one as a human does, this is one thing that makes the Daleks and their psychology such a profoundly alien race, indeed many of my favourite Doctor who stories are about just this form of psychology.

You state that monsters don't have to be evil, well if you just mean that it would be fine to conceive of a 30 foot tall sabre toothed scaly tentaclled, bug eyed, slime covered fire breathing creature with a sense of empathy or conscience, I'm afraid your several light years behind where science fiction and fantasy literature concepts have gone since that idea has been around for at least 70 years, maybe even more.

My point was not about appearence, but about creatures like the Daleks who possessed a human intelligence but did not have the human freedom to alter their attitudes to the world or act other than their nature, indeed several science fiction or fantasy stories explore this idea.

Look at Terry pratchett's Elves for example. They have a human appearance, indeed with more than human physical attractiveness, yet are incapable of compassion or kindness and are absolutely ruthless and sadistic, indeed many characters in Pratchett's works make the point that people missunderstand the elves precisely because! of their attractive and glamourous outward appearance, not realizing they have no ability to be other than completely evil.

I would not myself mind a game in which my character was opposed to such a group limited in spcyhology, whether they looked human or noot.

Of course, the concepts of beings who have no ability to freely change their perspective, perceptions of others or act other than in one way only are! fantastical, at the same time they are a reminder to people of exactly what does happen when we voluntarily give up our human moral freedom.

This is why in British slang the word "Dalek" can be used of anyone who rrigidly and coldly follows a cause or function irrispective of the feelings or desires or good of others.

Beware the Grue!

Dark.

---
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