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From: giles@ucf-cs.UUCP (Bruce Giles)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: aliens in STARTIDE RISING
Message-ID: <1195@ucf-cs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Feb-84 17:26:37 EST
Article-I.D.: ucf-cs.1195
Posted: Mon Feb 20 17:26:37 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Feb-84 08:48:49 EST
References: <16597@sri-arpa.UUCP>
Organization: University of Central Florida
Lines: 49

This jumps back a few months, but here goes....

The more I think about it, the more certain I am that the aliens in Brin's
universe will *not* recognize artificial intelligences as separate and
equal species!

Reasons:
	(1)  In *Sundiver* mention is made of several extremely bloody wars
	     between oxygen breathers and hydrogen breathers.  During these
	     wars entire planets are laid waste.  Needless to say, this
	     would tend to encourage "xenophobia", where "xeno-" refers
	     more to the basic biochemistry than the outer appearance.

	(2)  If more than one species has created artificial intelligences,
	     whose client are they?  Since a large amount of prestege is 
	     associated with the number of clients, the first species with
	     AI clients would strongly discourage other species from
	     creating their own AI clients.


Finally, I suspect that evolution will continue under the patrinage system.
The upraising species has a very strong vested interest in its client
species, specifically it needs them around to ensure that their decendents
many years later are treated well before extinction.  (Think of the analogy
of parents raising children to ensure that they will go to a retirement
home).  Now, if another species gives its clients every advantage they
can, they have a better chance of coming out ahead once they're on their
own.  And, if they are one of the more powerful species, they can take
better care of their patrons.  The bottom line is:  Natural selection will
work to encourage an "artifical evolution" among the client races.

This analysis leads to two interesting questions:

(1)  Since a higher level of technology will also tend to improve a
     species' standing among all species, why are so many races content
     to just "sit back" and do things as they've always been done, and

(2)  Clearly the galactics do not have any qualms concerning genetic
     engineering (witness the clients).  What prevents a species from
     making a client of itself once they begin to devolve?  Clearly
     genetic engineering (leading to another score million years of
     their existance) is better than extinction in only a short time.


ave discordia				going bump in the night ...
bruce giles

decvax!ucf-cs!giles			university of central florida
giles.ucf-cs@Rand-Relay			orlando, florida 32816