The following material is my article about the idea that most future complex organisms will be built
to *consciously* propagate their genes.
Much of it is quoted from...
alife.co.uknietzscheanismOpen ↗
...and - if the subject matter is of interest to you - are probably better off reading the
material there.
Nietzscheanism
==============
Introduction
------------
In the pulp-SF series "Andromeda" there's a species known as the Nietzscheans.
They are a race of genetically-engineered supermen - with great strength powerful immune systems and
acute senses.
Their society is founded on the philosophies of Friedrich Nietzsche.
Nietzsche believed that men would reshape themselves into better and stronger creatures.
He referred to these as "ubermenschen" - or supermen.
The Nietzscheans took his words to heart - and used genetic engineering and nanotechnology to
reshape themselves into literally superhuman organisms. [...]
The Nietzschean difference
--------------------------
Evolutionary biology tells us that most of the creatures seen in the modern world are likely to
spend most of their lives attempting to propagate their genes - since they are descended from a long
series of ancestors who performed that task slightly better than their peers managed it.
However, the Nietzscheans are a bit different from most other creatures in this regard - because
they engage in this activity /consciously/ and /deliberately/.
Rather than blindly following the program of their genes, the Nietzscheans recognise the existence
of their genes' purpose in life - and /consciously/ adopt it as their own.
Consciousness helps
-------------------
One of the lessons I think we can draw from humans in biology is that consciousness "works".
Having a rich model of the environment that includes a represention of yourself really does pay off
when attempting to predict how others will behave in response to your actions. [...]
The future
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With this in mind I would like to suggest that - in the future, most large, complex living orgainsms
are likely to have consciously embraced propagating their genes as their purpose in life.
Those who consciously propagate their genes are likely to be more effective at performing this task
than those who merely unconsciously follow their natural inclinations.
As a result of this they will be rewarded by an increases probability of leaving long term
descendants - and eventually the world will fill with their descendants - who will inherit their
ancestors intentions.
Nietzscheanism's opponents
--------------------------
Richard Dawkins is the best-known public opponent of Nietzscheanism.
In 1976 he wrote:
We are build as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against
our creators. We alone on earth have the power to rebel against the tyranny of the selfish
replicators.
Since then he's continued his crusade against the wishes of the gene:
In the title piece of "The Devil's Chaplain", he describes nature as "the ruthlessly cruel process
that gave us all existence", speaks of "revulsion against [evolution's] implications" - and
describes the process that made us as "wasteful, cruel and low".
He says that nature gave us a brain capable of "underdstanding its own provenance, of deploring the
moral implications and of fighting against them".
He says that "if selfish genes are Frankensteins and all life is their monster, it is only we that
can complete the fable by turning against our creators."
He describes humanity as" the only potential island of refuge from the implications of [evolution]:
from the cruelty, and the clumsy, blundering waste."
Of course, this is all the exact opposite of Nietzscheanism.
Nietzscheanism suggests cooperating with your genetic program - not rebelling against it.
It points out that those who rebel will not be favoured by natural selection - and the only part of
them that is potentially immortal - their genes - will thus be assigned to eternal oblivion - the
Nietzschean equivalent of eternal damnation.
Over time evolution will weed out the non-cooperators, and reward those who go along with the
gene's wishes.
It's a shame Richard holds this view - I'm sure he would make a good Nietzschean ;-)
Nature is beautiful - and he should be proud to be a part of it - rather than embarassed about
his roots.
In the future, nature will find ways to avoid some of the waste that he is blaming it for.
In particular it will manage to perform some fitness evaluations under simulation - where failures
do not make such a mess.
Also - rather than using random mutations - nature will use intelligent design to develop new types
of organism.
However these processes will still be /part/ of evolution - and natural selection will still rule
over everything - for the forseeable future.
There is no need to advocate rebelling against the system if you merely want to change parts of it -
and in this case, evolution appears to be a fundamental part of nature's thermodynamic laws - and so
attempting to rebel aganist it looks worse than the actions of King Canute.
[...]
The web site:
alife.co.uknietzscheanismOpen ↗
...has more information - including a:
"Frequently Asked Questions about Nietzscheanism"
...and "The Nietzscheans in their own words"
Enjoy,
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