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Perhaps humankind is still evolving. Maybe one day we will be perfectly structured and children my age could have as much intelligence as ender. What do you all think? Posts: 87 | Registered: Dec 2007
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Why? Long before then, we'll all have robots to do our thinking for us. A few generations later, they'll be keeping us as beloved pets.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Yes I do agree, rednecks are having more children than smart people. An idiocrasy may come over us and we will serve robots, hopefully I'll be dead by then. Rednecks:Bob I done thinks I'm pregnant gain'. Dang, woman, we got ten kids already! Smart couple: Steven, our children need a good education and need to be fed and clothed. The cost of two children will be enough. Posts: 87 | Registered: Dec 2007
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I think for the foreseeable future non-genetic evolution is where it's at for humans. Evolution of the mind and all that. Once the brain/computer interface, now in it's infancy, is perfected, there will be no stopping us.
Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I could rant, but I'll just say that even though the movie is a satire, I find it personally offensive. Typical stereotypes. Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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"Perhaps humankind is still evolving. Maybe one day we will be perfectly structured and children my age could have as much intelligence as ender. What do you all think?"
Well, as Morbo said, man-machine interfaces will make genetic evolution rather obsolete, when it comes to sheer speed.
Regardless, yes, humanity is of course still evolving.
However, mankind is not evolving towards some specific "perfect" form. Nothing is ever evolving towards some kind of "perfection."
Evolution occurs in the direction of genes that are more likely, that is, more able, to replicate themselves. The genes, or more specifically the phenotypes the genes create most able to replicate changes over time with the environment and other factors.
It's never towards some "goal." It's all blind as can be.
However, human-directed evolution in the form of manipulating other species as we've done, as well as technological augmentation... well. We can direct evolution in a manner we feel beneficial to us. That's a new thing, and something of incredible power.
We'll see if it turns out to be self-sustaining.
Posts: 1577 | Registered: Sep 2005
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I'm kind of horrified that she appears to have seen it, actually. Isn't she supposed to be nine?
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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quote:Originally posted by Luna 9: Yes I do agree, rednecks are having more children than smart people. An idiocrasy may come over us and we will serve robots, hopefully I'll be dead by then. Rednecks:Bob I done thinks I'm pregnant gain'. Dang, woman, we got ten kids already! Smart couple: Steven, our children need a good education and need to be fed and clothed. The cost of two children will be enough.
quote:Originally posted by steven: My kid is nothing if not funny.
steven, At least you made it as the smart couple example and not the redneck.
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Are you sure that she wasn't just being nice? Thanks for the link, Pixiest. It was just as good the second time.
Posts: 2705 | Registered: Sep 2006
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"I'm kind of horrified that she appears to have seen it, actually."
Her mom is a little more permissive than I am re: such things, usually. The kid seems to actually be in OK shape, emotionally. I think, based on my experiences with her, that talking to your kids about what they see is just as important. You know, whatever.
"At least you made it as the smart couple example and not the redneck."
I better.
"Are you sure that she wasn't just being nice?"
Gee, maybe. I dunno.
Posts: 3354 | Registered: May 2005
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Yeah, TD, I am nine. I think it's funny what they did to Fuddruckers, knowing that it is very hard not to say..um, well, you know. Posts: 87 | Registered: Dec 2007
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This thread, especially 0Megabyte's reference to engineering other species, and even brain-machine interfaces, brings to mind the "Uplift" series of books by David Brin. The entire premise to the series is that species uplift--engineer to sapience other lower species that show great intelligence. The first book is Sundiver, the second, Startide Rising has lots of references to controlling ships with brain interfaces and stuff. (Somewhat off topic, but they're cool, fun books)
Posts: 655 | Registered: May 2005
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It's about how some people think that large families are stupid hillbillies. I just don't get it.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Starsnuffer: This thread, especially 0Megabyte's reference to engineering other species, and even brain-machine interfaces, brings to mind the "Uplift" series of books by David Brin. The entire premise to the series is that species uplift--engineer to sapience other lower species that show great intelligence. The first book is Sundiver, the second, Startide Rising has lots of references to controlling ships with brain interfaces and stuff. (Somewhat off topic, but they're cool, fun books)
Glad I wasn't the only one to think of those when I read that.
Posts: 2332 | Registered: Jul 2003
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Also this movie's vision of the future part of why I believe people should have to pass a test to be able to breed, sort of an Uplift program for our own species, I hope netflix has this movie.
Posts: 2332 | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by The Reader: It's about how some people think that large families are stupid hillbillies. I just don't get it.
While I agree with finding it offensive, I do get it.
After all, if Joe & Judy Yuppie decided that the only intelligent and responsible thing to do is have no more than 2 children, clearly anyone who has 10 is unintelligent and irresponsible. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Yeah, well, me and my many siblings are very smart and ready to take over the world. The intelligent and responsible thing to do is to teach all 10 children to not fall for all of that yuppie stuff and think for themselves, and not to become too dependent on others for help.
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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quote:Originally posted by The Reader: It's about how some people think that large families are stupid hillbillies. I just don't get it.
While I agree with finding it offensive, I do get it.
After all, if Joe & Judy Yuppie decided that the only intelligent and responsible thing to do is have no more than 2 children, clearly anyone who has 10 is unintelligent and irresponsible.
Actually, respectfully, I don't think you guys do get it. It's not making fun of people with large families. It's commenting on the LCD who, thoughtlessly, breed freely. Not switched around where people with a lot of kids are the former. And it's making fun of both parties heavily, blaming both equally for what happens later on in the movie.
I think The Movie is glad you two specifically have large families. Yay!
Posts: 299 | Registered: Jan 2007
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This entire subject is hilarious to me. My mother is the oldest of 12. All but one of her siblings are now model citizens. Middle Class, Intelligent, Nice, Good looking, and most of THEIR kids are in, or on the way to, a good college education in a variety of professions.
By contrast, my father is one of ~11. I must assume that he is among the better off of them as most of the aunts, uncles, and cousins that I know of from his side of the family are hopeless rednecks. As a child, I can remember frequently going to play with my cousins on my Dad's side of the family in the trailer parks they lived in, but in retrospect, I'm very glad that afterward, I went home to a normal suburban neighborhood where I went to well-funded and reputable public schools. It appears that my father broke free of his genetic predilections.
Thankfully, both my brother and I are very intelligent, and will likely make good contributions to the gene pool.
The point is, I have ready access to both sides of the story, and I must say that it looks completely true from where I'm standing.
Posts: 636 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I agree with The Flying Dracula Hair. It's great when smart people have large families. The fact that so many smart people don't is unfortunate. And the fact that so many dumb people do in no way takes away from the smart people who do.
Posts: 12266 | Registered: Jul 2005
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quote: quote:Originally posted by The Reader: It's about how some people think that large families are stupid hillbillies. I just don't get it.
While I agree with finding it offensive, I do get it.
After all, if Joe & Judy Yuppie decided that the only intelligent and responsible thing to do is have no more than 2 children, clearly anyone who has 10 is unintelligent and irresponsible. [Razz] [Roll Eyes]
Actually, given the current population crisis... the fact that the planet is nearing capacity... it is irresponsible to have a huge family with lots of children at this point. From a big picture point of view. Though I mean no offense by it and don't think it makes one unintelligent. Nor am I really in favor of population limiting legislation (how do you enforce that?). I do think people really ought to be thinking about the fact that the planet is running out of room, there are too many of us and attempting to limit their family size on their own by what ever means they feel comfortable with.
Edit to add: I would like to add that the population size is only just starting to become a serious issue. So if you've already had a large family I don't think it was particularly irresponsible. What I mean to say is that it is becoming irresponsible to do so today. People who are considering large families today, but have yet to have one, I would urge to reconsider.
And the movie is definitely not arguing that having a large family makes you a dumb redneck. It's simply pointing out that dumb rednecks are much more likely to have lots more children than intelligent and well educated people. And therefore, if intelligence is linked to genetics -- which it most likely is -- our species is on a downward trend at this point. Least ways in the west, and America in particular. Since it's clearly based off American culture, it may not apply to places where said culture has yet to spread.
Yeesh was that movie painful to watch though. Fourty minutes of it and I feel like my IQ got cut in half!
Posts: 3295 | Registered: Jun 2004
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Alcon, You'll get no argument from me about the grave threat of overpopulation; however, the predicted point of disaster has never arrived. Humans have always found ways to survive with larger and larger numbers.
Our coping strategies, which include basic competition, trade, and a lot of aid, haven't been anywhere near perfect. They have resulted in war and poverty, but if they didn't work most of the time, there probably wouldn't be more than six billion of us. I don't think the threat is false, far from it. I just think we won't know the point of Too Much until we get there. For all I know it's here, or it's still another century away.
About rednecks: In my experience, which is of course subjective, "Redneck" is really just a way of life that in no way determines intelligence. Most of the people I have ever associated with could be called rednecks. I was practically raised as a redneck. (It was fun. )
Posts: 684 | Registered: Jun 2002
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That's why I qualified it with 'dumb', it's a particular subclass of redneck. In a lot of ways I could be easily taken for a Redneck at first glance -- though on closer inspection I don't think I fit that description. I'm well aware that there are many intelligent rednecks out there, some of my friends fall in that category. Posts: 3295 | Registered: Jun 2004
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Finally, a place I can put this video where it will actually fit (Though I've tried to insert it into other threads, but I doubt anyone watched it as it was a bit off topic):
I'll warn you, this is only part 1 of 8. The full seminar is about ~75 minutes long, but WELL worth watching IMO.
It basically talks about how the impending overpopulation can be calculated by the Exponential Growth Function. The really shocker is when he relates that you likely won't realize it's about to happen until the very last minute.
It also applies the same Function to the energy crisis and Oil and Coal specifically. It's probably the most informational video I've ever seen on Youtube.
Posts: 636 | Registered: Apr 2002
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