I've been reading Ishmael, thanks to an earlier suggested reading. It's pretty straight forward so far, but well written and captivating (excuse the pun for those who have read it).
And I saw a comment on Slashdot about life on other planets. I was just struck by the thought of us finding micro-organisms somewhere off planet. What would we do with them? Well, we'd bring them back to Earth of course, to study etc.
The similarity to this concept with the European introduction of disease to North America struck me, and I wondered if it wasn't just a wonderful mechanism of Mother Nature's for keeping a species within natural limits. A sort of trump card for a species that seeks to expand beyond its own boundaries before coming to terms with itself.
Ridiculous perhaps, but as has been pointed out before, we search for extra-terrestrial life, but what will we do when we find it? There are probably government 3-ring binders devoted to the subject, kept locked up in some safe somewhere to be exhumed when required...
Humanity gives me the picture of a self-proclaimed omnipotent being that considers itself all knowing but is not omniscient; flailing powers beyond its own understanding with consequences beyond its imagination.
Posted by hugin at July 16, 2002 10:59 AM