4 ms·

Here's a related thought experiment for those hoping for interstellar kumbaya: On planet Jung dwell the Jungians, sapien-like beings who need only a single cup

by fny 1y ago

Here's a related thought experiment for those hoping for interstellar kumbaya: On planet Jung dwell the Jungians, sapien-like beings who need only a single cup of a rare liquid to live an entire lifetime. For humans, that same cup grants twenty extra years of healthy life. Human just landed on the planet Jung and discovered the liquid--what happens next?

avar 1y ago
The "2 sentients 1 cup" thought experiment?
thrance 1y ago
If your point is to prove that the patterns of domination and conquests that exist here will necessarily exist in the stars too, then I'm afraid your thought experiment is deeply flawed. If ever we are able to journey through the interstellar medium, we ought to have achieved immortality by then. We'll probably live as deincarnated beings in virtual worlds, free from any desire to grow exponentially, having realized this is deeply unsustainable and pointless once you have mastery over physical reality. Read Diaspora by Greg Egan, perhaps it can cure you from this simplistic vision of the far future we have inherited from the 50s pop SciFi books.
- tremon 1y ago
  The counterpoint to immortality is generation ships -- and as witnessed by today's society, humanity can't sustain peaceful coexistence across even a few generations. I would bet that by the time such a spaceship encounters new life, the most domineering and conquest-happy in humanity will have outwrestled curiosity and desirelessness.
giraffe_lady 1y ago
The violence we do is a choice we make based on circumstances and conditions. It is not inherently part of us nor is it inevitable. In your scenario it is easy to imagine making the choice you imply. But that's all it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Statement_on_Violence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Statement_on_Violence

4 ms·

Here's a related thought experiment for those hoping for interstellar kumbaya: On planet Jung dwell the Jungians, sapien-like beings who need only a single cup

by fny 1y ago

avar 1y ago
The "2 sentients 1 cup" thought experiment?
thrance 1y ago
If your point is to prove that the patterns of domination and conquests that exist here will necessarily exist in the stars too, then I'm afraid your thought experiment is deeply flawed. If ever we are able to journey through the interstellar medium, we ought to have achieved immortality by then. We'll probably live as deincarnated beings in virtual worlds, free from any desire to grow exponentially, having realized this is deeply unsustainable and pointless once you have mastery over physical reality. Read Diaspora by Greg Egan, perhaps it can cure you from this simplistic vision of the far future we have inherited from the 50s pop SciFi books.
- tremon 1y ago
  The counterpoint to immortality is generation ships -- and as witnessed by today's society, humanity can't sustain peaceful coexistence across even a few generations. I would bet that by the time such a spaceship encounters new life, the most domineering and conquest-happy in humanity will have outwrestled curiosity and desirelessness.
giraffe_lady 1y ago
The violence we do is a choice we make based on circumstances and conditions. It is not inherently part of us nor is it inevitable. In your scenario it is easy to imagine making the choice you imply. But that's all it is. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Statement_on_Violence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seville_Statement_on_Violence