it doesnt mean that we "lack the intelligence to wield it intelligently". its just because mankind is uncooperative. alot of people just dont care and do what they can to entertain/help themselves even if they could do something to help the mankind. and maybe they are the intelligent ones. this concern will not touch our own lives.</font>[/QUOTE]Well, if we were very intelligent we'd see the advantages of being cooperative and how much more we could achieve if we worked together, wouldn't we?

Humans are stupid. That is a fact. Perhaps not compared to for example.... Dung beetles, but compared to ants or bees we certainly are. They've got a good, cooperative society where everyone works for the greater good and not for the greater greed. Imagine what we could do if we had a hive mind..... All of our power and skills would be focused excellently where it was needed and noone would go against the others in order to further themselves.....</font>[/QUOTE]You must be kidding Neb. No other thing on this planet is as successful as we. Insects act for the greater good of their hive and nothing else. Other species, hives, even their own descendants in another hive are of no consequence. They kill tresspassers mercilessly and without quarter. The state of the environment and ecology is also of no consequence. If they could they would grow until an entire area was decimated, and then move on.

This is kind of off-subject.

I read a book once. It was about a secret society of hive-people. They had been bred and trained through generations to be specialized and lived in a huge underground complex. They only sent out female breeders on occasion to find new genetic material for the hive. Which is how the poor main character of the story is introduced. They had workers, thinkers, soldiers, etc. They also had some choice science practices. Particularly genetically desireable females found above were captured for breeding. If they did not convert to the new mentality, they were "stumped". They would kill the girl and reserve the mid-section of the body in a life-support/feeding apparatus for fertilization and incubation. They referred to it as "stumping". CREEPY! Good sci-fi book though!

[ 06-03-2002, 10:22 AM: Message edited by: Sir Kenyth ]

You must be kidding Neb. No other thing on this planet is as successful as we. Insects act for the greater good of their hive and nothing else. Other species, hives, even their own descendants in another hive are of no consequence. They kill tresspassers mercilessly and without quarter. The state of the environment and ecology is also of no consequence. If they could they would grow until an entire area was decimated, and then move on.
</font>[/QUOTE]I am not kidding, Sir K., the ants are far more succesful in that they will probably not be the ones to destroy themselves. We are far too disorganized and self-destructive to put our intelligence to any use. What good is it to have amazing cultural and scientific advancement if you're going to end up destroying yourself and the planet that you live on?

What we need is some sort of.... Control chip, in our brains, that prevents us from harming another of our race. Either directly or indirectly, as long as it's on purpose we would be unable to get ourselves to do it. Except of course in self defense against those who lacked a chip should they get violent. We would be so much more powerful that way. The chip would also prevent us from harming the enviroment overly much, as that would harm the human race and in the end others with the Chip.

We would be able to focus all of our intelligence and skill on outside threats.... Just a single nation of such.... Hive people, would be able to defeat any other. They'd cooperate well, they'd never harm each other and they would work single-mindedly towards the completion of their tasks.... Of course they'd still have absolute free will except for being unable to harm others of the Hive Nation. That way no creativity or ability to advance technologically would be lost.

Imagine the US as a Hive Nation. So much skill and intelligence focused well, never working against itself.....

[ 06-03-2002, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: Neb ]

This is turning into the Island of Dr Monroe, isn't it?
Next you'll be saying that each person has to have an armed escort at all times. The point is, the chip-in-head idea would never get off the ground. With criminals on probation, it may be taken into considertion, but with others it would be seen as an invasion into their minds. Because let's face it, it is.

Look at the human race in general:

1) We constantly fight each other. Given fact.
2) Even if our technology is advanced, what we do with it is the same for the past 2 centuries; hoard money, make money, kill opposition, get basic needs.
3) For every problem eliminated, one new one arises, or sometimes 2.

Read "A Brave New World" for some interesting views...

I'd allow that invasion into my mind, because I don't HAVE to be violent towards others and it WOULD allow me to defend myself against the chipless who would be the only ones that would be violent towards me. People hold freedom too highly, the freedom of being allowed to be violent towards others should be one that people would happily rid themselves of.

a chip in your brain to control violent impulses?any society who does that will cease to exist as a human society.and then they will be destroyed by the human norms because they will be seen as a threat.

Ah, but they will NOT have their intelligence removed. They will still be able to defend themselves well against the chip-less attackers, as well as of course not revealing that they are "chipped" before they are strong enough to defend themselves.

<font color = lightgreen>The ability to choose either good/right or evil/wrong is one of the things that make us human. Anyone who gives up the ability to choose violence becomes less than a dog, because even dogs have the ability to choose their actions.

Would you be happy being unable to choose violence? Even though I am not a violent person, I would still want to be able to choose it if I want to. I, for one, would not be happy to rid myself of that choice.

Go read "A Clockwork Orange" and The Gap Cycle by Stephen Donaldson to see the ramifications of not having free will.

Besides, violence and sex are linked in the brain structure of the human male; this is a neurological fact. If you remove the capacity for violence you might also take away the sex drive.

Just to be somewhat on-topic: no, the human race is not "doomed". Eventually we will all be gone, but the same can be said for the planet itself.</font>

[ 06-03-2002, 04:12 PM: Message edited by: Azred ]

I persoanlly think 'yes' we are gonna die out as a race, but then, does it matter? I mean we've screwed up this planet sooo much that even if we dont kill ourselfs off, its entirely likely theres gonna be a 'man-made' disater or something. ah well. Jon Irenicus *was* wrong; Life IS NOT strength... er... oh this is on General discusions... opps... ah well. we're gonna die out anyway, the only question is; when where and how.