Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ucf-cs.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!mcnc!duke!ucf-cs!giles 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