- Breaking the Spell
- by Daniel Dennett
The chemistry that existed at the beginning of the Planet or Solar System allowed life to form...life was inevitable, not magically derived.
Turns out that biology is only a subset of geology. We are as "mobile minerals" (copyright Frish) that have formed from the Earth, more carefully constructed than crystals.
Evolution describes the means whereby new energy niches are taken advantage of by life. Technology, culture, language, fire are all ways for humans to take advantage of new energy niches, so "manmade" is in enthusiatic support of, and totally congruent with, our biological imperative to spread into neighboring energy niches.
That makes us special minerals, and particularly ephemeral, since we cannot shut off our predilection to overcome natural limits on ourselves.
It appears, by every bit of evidence, that however smart any of us are individually, in a large group we cannot seem to function in our own best interest.
Groups of Humans cannot be wise, perhaps...
The support for that position also comes from the lack of evidence for extra-terrestrial life. No remote radio beacons, no cosmic con-trails, no little-green-men coming to visit.
Since, even with our existing and rather primitive technology, humans could begin to colonize the galaxy, albeit slowly...but, if you have 2 or more million years to do it, it shouldn't be difficult to see we'd populate all of the galaxy in that amount of time.
So, where are the little green men? Wiped out by nature, intelligence cannot withstand nature! Nature is not a good habitat for intelligence.
Nature will have her way with us. She wins in time.
