Re: virus: Virus: Sociological Change

Alex Williams (thantos@decatl.alf.dec.com)
Thu, 28 Nov 1996 11:11:23 -0500 (EST)


> Surely something that is perfect (assuming that that which makes all people happy
> is perfect) will continue indefinately, while that which is unstable always
> runs the risk of decaying.

OK, assume that everyone's happy in this society lying around being
drugged out of their gourds. They've been lying around indolently,
eating the fruit off the trees ever since the society enculturated in
the Spring.

Winter comes.

Now /my/ society, in which everyone's not happy all the time because
we have to do things to ensure our survival through hard times like
farming, stocking food for the cold, etc, can look forward to taking
the land the Lethians left behind come Spring and expanding onto it.

If you're going to create a perfect society, be sure the conditions
under which it came to be never changes or it'll be poorly set to take
advantage of new niches. After all, everyone's happy where they are.

> Problem: It depends who you are ! I would rather the latter myself, but I
> know people who definately prefer the first!

See above.

> Good point. Never even crossed my mind. BUT, if change is easy and rapid, then
> mistakes can be as easily rectified as they were made.

Mistakes will not always be quickly rectified, even if its possible.
They may not be recognized as mistakes until its too late. They may
simply never be rectified. You can make a series of mistakes that
destabilize the entire structure.

If you're basing a human society on the idea that a mistake'll never
be made, we need to have a long talk about the nature of reality. :)

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