Well, not all of those babies are going to be surviving some genetic flaw which
they will then pass on to their offspring. (Although some no doubt will).
Perhaps it comes down to memetic survival? Perhaps that baby will grow up to
be a scientist, or a pilosopher, or a messiah who will become a vector for a
new meme-complex that aids survival of the species? Saving as many babies as
possible, increasing the diversity of the population, might have positive
survival value.
I would argue that the greater the diversity - both genetic and memetic - of a
civilization that saves such babies, the more likely that civilization, or at
least some members of it, will be able to adapt and survive future change.
> How about eye-glasses? The longer we use them, the more of the population
> *needs* to use them!
True, but not everyone in the population needs them. And at this point, there
is no negative survival value of needing glasses. Civilization protects those
with weak eyesight from the harsh realities of "survival of the fittest."
And as long as a big chunk of the population does not need glasses, the species
will probably survive a change that makes poor eyesight a survival liability.
It is only if we get to a point that *everybody* needs them that I will worry.
> These and other issues make me wonder about the long term (ten of thousands
> of years and up) viability of this thing we call "civilization". Are we
> breeding people who cannot survive without it?
Almost certainly yes.
> If so, how long until even
> our bests efforts will not be able to "cure" the debased gene's of the
> culture?
>
> Maybe genetic engineering is not a only likely but a *necessary* step for a
> galactic civilization!
Or perhaps, it is part of the natural order of things that every civilization
must eventually collapse into chaos and basic survival, so that the least
viable parts of the gene pool & meme pool are eliminated, and the resulting
survivors are stronger. Kind of like a well-earned vacation that allows you to
rest and recuperate, before going back to work.
It is a compelling argument for wide diversity of both genes and memes within
any civilization, so that there are likely to be sets of memes and genes in the
civilization capable of adapting to and surviving a major climate change or
other unexpected circumstance.
Or maybe there really are Shadows running around the galaxy, kicking over all
the ant hills so that the surviving ants can rebuild better and stronger. ;-)
-- +======================================================+ || Kevyn Jacobs || Memetic Engineer & Undergraduate in Life Studies || Kansas State University, 915 Moore Hall, || Manhattan, Kansas, USA, North America, Earth, Sol III, || Sagitarius Arm, Milky Way Galaxy, GOD, 66505-0535. || http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~kevyn/ =======================================================+ || "Can memes be smiles? || Can smiles be memes? || We do infect each other || with our feelings, || so it seems." +===========================+