Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id FAA19073 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Wed, 1 May 2002 05:57:58 +0100 Message-ID: <008101c1f0ca$ff6a4860$5e2ffea9@oemcomputer> From: "Philip Jonkers" <philipjonkers@prodigy.net> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <001e01c1f011$e8849d80$1086b2d1@teddace> Subject: Re: Saving the ethnosphere Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 21:44:29 -0700 Organization: Prodigy Internet Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_007A_01C1F090.34ED2C40" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2600.0000 X-Mimeole: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2600.0000 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
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Phil:
> The less languages around the less potential confusion will be brought
> about by people trying to communicate as the probability increases that
> they speak the same language.
Ted:
The tyranny of utilitarianism.
Phil:
If you wish. I'd like to regard it inherent and typical to evolutionary processes.
> Extinction of redundant languages is a natural process in an environment
> with progressive global communication.
Ted:
This is rationalization, pure and simple. Cultures are annihilated by guns, disease, and dollars.
Phil:
Fair enough, and I guess `colonization' is already covered by one or more of the three categories you
gave above.
Phil:
> Trying to intervene in this natural process, in the sense of trying to preserve
> superfluous languages, to me seems to be as artificial as genetic
> engineering is to biological evolution.
Ted:
How about superfluous species? Who says life itself isn't superfluous? Perhaps humans and our natural languages will one day be rendered obsolete by computers and their algorithmic tongues.
Btw, bacteria have been sharing genes for billions of years. Humbling, isn't it?
Phil:
Life is an expression or manifestation of solar-induced energy that happens to exists because of favorable conditions
here on earth. Life is equally superfluous as it is spontaneous.
IIRC, *all* life-forms on earth share a large number of genes because we are descendent from a common ancestor.
Phil.
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