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From: arivett@freenet.npiec.on.ca (Andrew J Rivett)
Subject: Re: WASTE:  Introduction
Message-ID: <DFFpCv.FMD.0.freenet@freenet.npiec.on.ca>
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Date: Mon, 25 Sep 1995 00:00:30 GMT
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Sunir Shah (sshah@intranet.on.ca) wrote:

: Comments would of course be appreciated.  If you think I'm full of crap,
: please tell me. :)  I'll be posting various articles about WASTE in the
: future, some here, some in rec.games.programmer and some in r.g.design,
: depending on what's appropriate.
: ---
: ...  If chimpanzees are the most intelligent species on earth
: aside from humans, it would appear that war comes with
: intelligence.

:     Although this is a depressing thought, it makes sense.
It may appear that war comes with intelligence but maybe war is more a 
function of the primate species.  I would argue that we are like monkeys 
in many ways.  Tragically, our war-like nature is a characteristic 
independant of intelligence but all the more dangerous as it happens to 
be coupled with intelligence.  That is not to say that intelligence is in 
lockstep with aggression, but many evolutionary biologists DO believe 
this.  Unfortunately, we have only primates to look to when we evaluate 
intelligent animals on earth.  We also have an anthropocentric view of 
how to evaluate intelligence.  For example, unless the animal builds 
cities, develops technology, language and culture, we conclude that 
intelligence is lacking. Indeed, we may have little knowledge of the real 
level of intelligence of say, whales, for example.  I hope you are wrong, 
and I have tried to reject the concept of differential reproductive 
success and sexual selection as a method of evolution and progression of 
species.  I admit that your argument has alot of support in the 
scientific community.  This is just to allow you to consider that this is 
ONE theory....not all.  Hope your game goes well.

-- 

Andrew Rivett of St. Catharines can be 
reached at email arivett@freenet.npiec.on.ca   
or bb655@freenet.toronto.on.ca
