From: Grant Callaghan (grantc4@hotmail.com)
Date: Fri 18 Apr 2003 - 21:26:50 GMT
Grant,
Thanks for your contribution, but saying the words of a man I work with, "
Why do we bother about SARS, if traffic kills, in the US, 50.000 people a
year !? "
Kenneth
I don't know why people are getting so worked up over SARS but what I think
Mr. Ho is pointing out is that we are now in a position to create other such
fearful things as the SARS epidemic. For all I know, SARS was created in
one of the new Chinese labs that are springing up all over the mainland and
which escaped into the population.
But what struck me is the fact that we are now capable of creating such
things and are in fact populating the world with plants and animals we
really have no control over. That's a memetic way of changing the world.
We decide why and what kind of new species to create and let loose on the
world -- species that don't evolve according to the rules of adapting to
niches in the existing environment but to suit the perceived needs of men,
some of whom can be described as madmen.
We are creating a new environment based on the wants and desires of people
in various cultures that have conflicting interests. We are at the
beginning of increasingly interesting times. (By "we" I mean all of
humanity.)
Grant
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