From: "Andy Robertson" 
Subject: Re: (urth) TBOTSS and colonialism
Date: Tue, 28 May 2002 19:07:04 +0100


----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Straight" 

> On Sat, 1 Jun 2002, Andy Robertson wrote:
>
> > Their minds *right down to their deepest souls* are no more than a
genetic
> > ghost conjured up by their blood-drinking bodies as a chameleon-game to
> > facilitate more blood-drinking - a fake so deep that the poor minds
> > themselves believe it to be true, but a fake nontheless.
> >
> > The only thing about them that is *not* borrowed is their genetics,
their
> > bodies, and it is the only thing that can be meaningfully judged.
>
> I don't see how you can hold to that view of mind/body relationship and
> still view chems as persons (which Wolfe obviously does).


Why not?

Our own minds *right down to our deepest souls* are no more than a genetic
ghost conjured up by our bodies, to serve evolutionary drives.

The chems' minds are no more than a cybernetic ghost conjured up by *their*
bodies.

We are all chems;  inhumi;   machines;  beasts.



I didn't say we were existentially on different planes.

I said the conflict between human and inhumi was **embedded** - was part of
their disparate natures.



The inhumi are a parasitic/predatory chameleon species **because of their
inbuilt nature**.

And that "nature" is one thing with their flesh, not some indwelling
charioteer.

The chameleon/parasite aspect extends even to the nature of their *minds* -
which faithfully hold to the MetaLie, the belief that they are human,   even
while serving the cruel behest of evolution and nothing else.

(that belief is the heart of the chameleon/parasite: the sincerest **and
most evolutionarily successful** liars are those who *believe* their lies)




The initial point of this thread was that some of us deny the concept of an
"inbuilt nature" in intelligent species.

Be sure that Wolfe does **not** deny that concept, and be sure he knows what
a terrible evil it is.



    hartshorn



(( "colonialism" my foot!!!!!!!! ))







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