Stewart Stremler wrote:
begin quoting Todd Walton as of Tue, Jun 07, 2005 at 07:51:24AM -0700:
On 6/7/05, Stewart Stremler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Thus, the "goal" of a gene is to replicate itself.
Given a goal, we can talk about other fuzzy concepts, such as "want",
as in "a gene wants to replicate itself", or "care", as in "a gene
only cares about those things that lets it replicate itself better".
In that sense, a gene doesn't _care_ about your quality of life, it
only cares about replicating itself.
A discussion of metaphysics would invite dissent to this postulate. :^P
As you point out, genes don't _actually_ care. (In fact, according to
some people, _nobody_ *actually* cares, it's all just deterministic
biology, and we're little meat puppets.)
The idea of a puppet demands and presupposes a puppeteer.
begin quoting DJA as of Mon, Jun 06, 2005 at 11:22:42PM -0700:
Indeed, it's a wonder that the populations of these backwaters haven't
died off centuries ago and the land gone back to jungle.
This is what you were responding to. I think your comment was a non
sequitur, that's all.
It may _look_ like one, but I don't think it is. It may have been a bit
of a leap, however. :)
-Stewart "I leap, you plod, he trips." Stremler
Of course, DJA's remark was intended sarcasm.
--
Best Regards,
~DJA.
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