NEWS: Paging Dr. Moreau

Holy Secret of NIMH!!!

weres marlon brando when you need him?

When I hear the phrase "human-animal hybrid", I'm like WTF. Humans ARE animals.

Anyway. It comes full circle. We started discovering ourselves by disecting ourselves, then realized we could use other animals, then realized we couldn't really use other animals, so now try to make ourselves inside the shells of other animals. so it doesn't look like we're being barbaric.

i find it particularly rad that the sheep have human, or at least quasi-human brains. you'd want to procreate with sheep and also feel the shame of being known as a sheepfucker. hurray for modern medicine!

Can I be a transgenic too? Can anyone say "Dark Angel"?

actually, almost all early anatomy was based on that of animals (ie galen). the practice of dissection of humans didnt really come into 'popularity' until the renaissance.

[Edited on May 02, 2005 by PointBlank]

You want to be a bad actor?

don't any of these scientists watch movies? Seriously, some of that shit is going to start coming true. Probably not in a "Giant Killer Rats With Human Brains" sorta way, but more in a 28 Days later thing or something. I sure doesn't seem right. I tell you though. I should have been a scientist. Because these guys get to spend other peoples money doing the weirdess damn things. Seems kinda sick really. Yeah, that shit is just wrong. But that is what we get for not letting them clone humans. At least someone watched Bladerunner and saw what a bad idea that would be.

Your grasp of both science and Bladerunner's plot are tenuous at best.

Oh, and another thing. Anyone else think that maybe all this medicine and medical research and such is weakening the human race? Did nature really intend for us to live into our 80s and 90s on a regular basis? Isn't rather anti-Darwin to try to fix all of these broken people? Then they take their weak genes and breed. That isn't good for anyone. I really think that is why people are getting dumber and fatter. I'm not calling for the extermination of the weak or anything like that. It just seems counter productive for us all really. What happens to survival of the fittest when Dr. Normal gives us all a magic crutch. Maybe we shouldn't cure cancer. Or allot of other diseases. Just a though.

Your grasp of both science and Bladerunner's plot are tenuous at best.

All I'm saying is that Bladerunner covered the fact that we would likely abuse cloned humans.

All I'm saying is that Bladerunner covered the fact that we would likely abuse cloned humans.

They were androids...replicants, if you will

"They said they will destroy any mice that exhibit humanlike behavior. "

Ok. I understand the concept, but once they exhibit human-like behavior; isn't it a little late by then? Now you're not just killing a mouse, you might be killing a human...um...mouse.

"Quick! Act stupid...the lab guys are coming! You remember what happened to Stan!!"

They were androids...replicants, if you will

But they where genetical engineered. And they had life spans. And they were used as slaves. So pretty much it still makes the point.

[Edited on May 03, 2005 8:04AM]

Some would argue that it is actually a PART of the natural evolutionary process.

The human race goes through a short “weakening” period (you could argue, perhaps, 300 years tops out of at least 200,000 years of quantitative homo sapiens sapiens) which then presses medical technology to research the ensuing health problems until the genetic codes are cracked. Once cracked, genetic health issues become a thing of the past.

Research develops solutions only as fast as the problem presses itself. The problem with discussing “natural” evolution is we have no reference basis for what happens to a species once it becomes sentient. It could be quite normal for all sentient life to destroy their home world, move off-world, after which the pressure that forced them to save themselves also gives them the self-discipline to protect the new home. As natural as a bird being pushed out of the nest.

The problem is, we won’t know until we encounter a number of other sentient species to use as a reference datum.

This is a very credible point, I like where you take the issue; and I think that there is a good chance that this idea is correct - that all this crazy shit we are up to as a culture is part of a natural course. The natural/not natural debate is played out I think; its moot.

But there is a different perspective of the issue that I see as pivotal. So what if it is natural to spread over the earth like a plague, and dominate and control the entire environment. If we do this, if we devaluate everything in this universe aside from our culture - we end up very alone. Its like the fucking Lorax. I remember that cartoon as visceral in its presentation of a world where its just us; everything else is gone after we use and empty it all of meaning. I see our culture as heading toward this point - maybe literally - more importantly, as a mindset I think that we are already there - at least those of us who are Americans.

It is certainly possible that being the biggest kid on the block places us in a position to have our way with the universe (or sheeple, or anything, really) but where will we be without that universe that spawned us?

I don't know... maybe these are just the concerns of someone who by random chance loved the natural world around him - and that therefore this perspective is biased. But I do know one thing - which side I will always be on. A universe (or planet, or forest, or whatever) full of nothing but people-centered and people dominated stuff? Fuck that. Even if I am more powerful than the the sun itself, I respect it enough as a thing not to fuck with it. There's been a lot of times I've been in some situation on the street, I meet some guy who could kick my ass like he was breathing. When I discover that person has self control, and respect for me - my respect for that person goes through the roof. That is powerful.

And that argument about if you or your mom or whatever was going to die? We were meant to die. What, are you chicken? In that world you want to use and abuse, there's something. Go ahead and use it up - you'll find yourself empty later.

So I guess what I'm saying is - we should choose our evolution - rather than allowing ourselves to become by accident some kind of swarm-domino effect. Just because the universe lets us do it doesn't mean its our best option.

maybe the mice...but yea, that's a simpsons quote.

this is a baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa'd idea.

I am not sure why we are resurrecting 2 year old threads, but I just want to say here, that ever since the 2004 election I have pretty much been convinced that this had already happened.

How else does one explain the re-election of a moron?

whoa. this thread is 2 years old. lmfao.