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They're made out of meat (1991)

terrybisson.com

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Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#181

Post by GoblinSlayer »

ryeights wrote: post #177
GoblinSlayer wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can do it with no provision for molecules too.

That wouldn’t be complete though. I mean that an outside observer could view a simulation of the universe by your model, down to the subatomic particle level, and find no differences with the real world. There is no measurable “consciousness field” as far as we know, so how can our science even begin to approach the topic?

What do you mean by "wouldn’t be complete"? If no differences with the real world are found, then the model is complete.

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#182

Post by jawilson2 »

Frotag wrote: post #107
stared wrote: post #93

Discarding scientific evidence usually looks differently than "we discussed that we didn’t liked it". Is is usually not looking at all, never starting a discussion, or even lacking an intellectual framework to comprehend the phenomenon. See "The great silence" by Ted Chiang, http://worker01.e-flux.com/pdf/supercommunity/article_1087.p... for this "not looking at". For this "beyond comprehension", think about Solaris…

"The Baby-Eating Aliens" also explores hypothetical differences in alien culture. It's also written in the same absurd conversational style. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=469761

Well THIS is a bit prescient:

"Well, out of curiosity - how much did you lose?"

The Confessor seemed to freeze, for a moment. "What?"

"How much did you lose in the legislative prediction markets, betting on whatever dreadful outcome you thought would happen?"

I had to go see if this was written in the last month or so. It is from 2009.

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#183

Post by nagaiaida »

emmelaich wrote: post #124
haritha-j wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I didn't really get it to be honest. I feel like something went over my head.

Same, I thought the newberries were going to be some sort of intelligence enhancer.

perhaps the command by l sprague de camp would be more to your liking if you're more interested in a story more explicitly about bear uplift like that

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#184

Post by lproven »

kjs3 wrote: post #114
Aperocky wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no refutation of anything here, I seriously thought about the possibility of evolution without meat, but you should be convince me otherwise if you can show me how it can arise naturally after big bang. It's a discussion of reality stemming from an inspirational fiction. The whoosh apply to you.

Seriously...don't read any other science fiction stories. The things they write about that we can't indulge you by proving how they could possibly happen will make your head explode. Edit: spelling

Indeed. As an example, it's important they don't read David Brin's Uplift series, or Terry Pratchett's excellent The Dark Side of the Sun.

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#185

Post by lproven »

Izkata wrote: post #110
rob74 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they exist, they're probably currently placing bets whether we will manage to destroy ourselves (or at least set our civilization back by centuries) with our nuclear weapons, our climate change or our social media...

I like the idea we live inside the Veil of Madness (A sort of galactic bermuda triangle that drives inhabitants insane, so all spacefaring civilizations stay away). https://www.reddit.com/r/HFY/comments/8vbfgk/the_veil_of_mad...

TBH Vernor Vinge did it a _lot_ better.

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#186

Post by lproven »

FarmerPotato wrote: post #146
Tade0 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends how they're listening I think. There was a time not long ago when reportedly looking at the emails being exchanged around the world one would think the most pressing matter, discussed at length, was how to "enlarge your penis".

Think if the metazoans had written down their reproductive anxieties.

We are metazoans?

Well, I can't be sure about you, but I am and all my friends too.

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#187

Post by lproven »

indoordin0saur wrote: post #63
tantalor wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know where you get the claims from "anyone" about "enlightenment". This story is obviously satire. Meaning, it is a lie that tells the truth.

> This story is obviously satire. Is it though? What is it satirizing? Is it satirizing the idea of water and carbon based life? How does that tell any truth?

> What is it satirizing?

Being provincial. Assuming sentients look and act like us, whoever "us" is. (Cf. whales, or elephants.) Assuming that what "we" do is the right, proper way to do things and anything else is inferior.

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#188

Post by kjs3 »

lproven wrote: post #184
kjs3 wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously...don't read any other science fiction stories. The things they write about that we can't indulge you by proving how they could possibly happen will make your head explode. Edit: spelling

Indeed. As an example, it's important they don't read David Brin's Uplift series, or Terry Pratchett's excellent The Dark Side of the Sun .

If you really need to enumerate examples you can just say "does it have FTL travel? Don't look Aperocky! Your head will explode!". Plenty more examples...

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#189

Post by FarmerPotato »

lproven wrote: post #186
FarmerPotato wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think if the metazoans had written down their reproductive anxieties.

We are metazoans? Well, I can't be sure about you, but I am and all my friends too.

Right. I had in mind an article I read about the "ur-metazoan"

I propose the concept "Linnaeus-Years" to measure how outdated my taxonomical vocabulary is.

Re: They're made out of meat (1991)

#190

Post by stared »

Frotag wrote: post #107
stared wrote: post #93

Discarding scientific evidence usually looks differently than "we discussed that we didn’t liked it". Is is usually not looking at all, never starting a discussion, or even lacking an intellectual framework to comprehend the phenomenon. See "The great silence" by Ted Chiang, http://worker01.e-flux.com/pdf/supercommunity/article_1087.p... for this "not looking at". For this "beyond comprehension", think about Solaris…

"The Baby-Eating Aliens" also explores hypothetical differences in alien culture. It's also written in the same absurd conversational style. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=469761

You don't need baby-eating aliens where this pattern is common among earthly species.
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