Comments on: One Analogy too Many http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html Chronicling and Commenting on Human Progress Thu, 21 Aug 2008 04:19:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Bruce http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33189 Bruce Sat, 30 Jun 2007 15:17:31 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33189 The development of boat technology is a more enlightening analogy, I think, and one that is buried in some of our other terminology (spaceships, "this new ocean," etc.). Unfortunately it is also buried in pre-history so that it seems like there must have always been boats even though there must have been a first boater and a lot of boat pioneers who crossed the Pacific and incidentally invented celestial navigation to allow this - but it is a technology, and it developed greatly and resulted in enormous changes and civilization as we know it. Aviation's start is within living memory, and spaceflight has some aviation roots, so it has a certain appeal as an analogy, but it "only" got us to known places faster. Of course this has changed the world a lot, but the "new worlds" point is well taken. The evolution comment is not clear to me either. Is it that it will be "post-humans" who actually live on other worlds someday, not we ordinary "1.0" humans? I don't know. If there is a technological civilization in these parts in 200 years (human, trans-human, post-human, evolved from us, AI robotic, whatever), I have to believe they will be making use of the resources of at least the inner solar system much as past humans expanded to make use of the resources of the entire Earth (a process which is now reaching some serious limits, of course). -Bruce The development of boat technology is a more enlightening analogy, I think, and one that is buried in some of our other terminology (spaceships, “this new ocean,” etc.). Unfortunately it is also buried in pre-history so that it seems like there must have always been boats even though there must have been a first boater and a lot of boat pioneers who crossed the Pacific and incidentally invented celestial navigation to allow this - but it is a technology, and it developed greatly and resulted in enormous changes and civilization as we know it. Aviation’s start is within living memory, and spaceflight has some aviation roots, so it has a certain appeal as an analogy, but it “only” got us to known places faster. Of course this has changed the world a lot, but the “new worlds” point is well taken.

The evolution comment is not clear to me either. Is it that it will be “post-humans” who actually live on other worlds someday, not we ordinary “1.0″ humans? I don’t know. If there is a technological civilization in these parts in 200 years (human, trans-human, post-human, evolved from us, AI robotic, whatever), I have to believe they will be making use of the resources of at least the inner solar system much as past humans expanded to make use of the resources of the entire Earth (a process which is now reaching some serious limits, of course).

-Bruce

]]> By: Tom http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33098 Tom Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:37:29 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33098 No wonder why you like Civ IV so much! No wonder why you like Civ IV so much!

]]> By: Anthony Kendall http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33094 Anthony Kendall Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:55:44 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33094 Alexander, What exactly do you mean by the evolution of ourselves? Do you mean as a society, as organisms, what? I don't claim to be immune from over-using a particular literary device, but sometimes the corny way to say something is still the truest. Alexander,
What exactly do you mean by the evolution of ourselves? Do you mean as a society, as organisms, what?

I don’t claim to be immune from over-using a particular literary device, but sometimes the corny way to say something is still the truest.

]]> By: Alexander van Dijk http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33093 Alexander van Dijk Wed, 13 Jun 2007 23:10:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2007/06/one-analogy-too-many.html#comment-33093 An interesting discussion (NASAwatch, Portree, u), for sure, and I agree with the often mis-used metaphors in the space business (seen too many of them!), but one point of discussion I am missing in all this colonizing tada is the evolution of...ourselves...human beings... "...humans looking back at the Earth from their homes elsewhere in the Solar Solar...."? Come on...talking about mis-used metaphors! An interesting discussion (NASAwatch, Portree, u), for sure, and I agree with the often mis-used metaphors in the space business (seen too many of them!), but one point of discussion I am missing in all this colonizing tada is the evolution of…ourselves…human beings…

“…humans looking back at the Earth from their homes elsewhere in the Solar Solar….”?

Come on…talking about mis-used metaphors!

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