Slaves to genes
Information is what makes up the universe. Such as a rock. A rock may seem simple - but it's atomic structure is more computationally dense than a human being. Although all this computation is random - it has no order. If it wasn't for the finely tuned physical laws it wouldn't be what it is (as certain universes with a particular set of physical laws apparently give birth to more black holes and create more universes).
Anyway, unlike the rock, the chemistry that gave birth to DNA had an inbuilt, default purpose. The organism that the DNA gave instructions for either survived or not. If it didn't survive - then it would just die and become extinct. So, DNA only has survival traits built into it. Everything otherwise just dies.
So, I am designed as a gene replicator - a biological vessel to spread my genes. All the traits I have are survival promoting in some way, or survival promoting to the point where I can pass on my genes. Biology is only about preserving individual life long enough to ensure that genes are passed on and possibly survival of the tribe (such as the grandmother hypothesis -link-).
I hate the idea of being a slave to my genes. You just become conscious of it and hate being controlled in that way. It kind of destroys your identity and you become just another automaton.
The questioning process is what gave rise the spiritual process - the search for the meaning of it all. The religious may have gotten it right if they weren't blinded by their own dogma.
Anyway, unlike the rock, the chemistry that gave birth to DNA had an inbuilt, default purpose. The organism that the DNA gave instructions for either survived or not. If it didn't survive - then it would just die and become extinct. So, DNA only has survival traits built into it. Everything otherwise just dies.
So, I am designed as a gene replicator - a biological vessel to spread my genes. All the traits I have are survival promoting in some way, or survival promoting to the point where I can pass on my genes. Biology is only about preserving individual life long enough to ensure that genes are passed on and possibly survival of the tribe (such as the grandmother hypothesis -link-).
I hate the idea of being a slave to my genes. You just become conscious of it and hate being controlled in that way. It kind of destroys your identity and you become just another automaton.
The questioning process is what gave rise the spiritual process - the search for the meaning of it all. The religious may have gotten it right if they weren't blinded by their own dogma.
posted by Bartleby at 1:01 AM
2 Comments:
[quote]I hate the idea of being a slave to my genes. [/quote]
My biology - nor the reproduction of it - has never really bothered me. However, I sympathise with that view in my own way. From my pocket notebook:
***
“You seem to be boasting to me of your shooting yourself.”
“I've always been surprised at every one's going on living,” said Kirillov, not hearing his remark.
“H'm! Admitting that's an idea, but . . .”
“You ape, you assent to get the better of me. Hold your tongue; you won't understand anything. If there is no God, then I am God.”
“There, I could never understand that point of yours: why are you God?”
“If God exists, all is His will and from His will I cannot escape. If not, it's all my will and I am bound to show self-will.”
“Self-will? But why are you bound?”
“Because all will has become mine. Can it be that no one in the whole planet, after making an end of God and believing in his own will, will dare to express his self-will on the most vital point? It's like a beggar inheriting a fortune and being afraid of it and not daring to approach the bag of gold, thinking himself too weak to own it. I want to manifest my self-will. I may be the only one, but I'll do it.”
“Do it by all means.”
“I am bound to shoot myself because the highest point of my self-will is to kill myself with my own hands.”
“But you won't be the only one to kill yourself; there are lots of suicides.”
“With good cause. But to do it without any cause at all, simply for self-will, I am the only one.”
***
To hear my own ideas being spoken by a man I never met, yet lived and died a hundred years before my time, was surreal and - I'll admit - frustrating as well. Frustrating in that here I had a complete stranger sum up my ideas to the very dot in the i's without even consulting me. C'est la vie =D
Good to see you're still writing.
Thank you for your comments.
I like the quote on suicide - that is really the only conscious choice you can make. To just end you life - not for any particular reason - just because you decide to do so.
Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what your decisions are, you still have a primitive brain's needs to deal with... The quest for knowledge being the highest function with everything else just being more perfunctory to survival and survival of the species.
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