tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2142251318601917690.post8665409118234457553..comments2023-10-20T03:44:49.162-04:00Comments on Empyrean Dreams: Royce's Dilemma - Chapter 6Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08625886238673898988noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2142251318601917690.post-58630017419352717242014-03-08T01:29:40.715-05:002014-03-08T01:29:40.715-05:00Occasionally, a writer tries a human absorbing an ...Occasionally, a writer tries a human absorbing an alien culture (several series by C. J. Cherryh) or an alien romanced by human culture (too many movies to count). I think this is the first example I've seen of one alien being seduced by another alien philosophy. Any others you can think of?<br /><br />The interesting question to me, in all these cases, is that when you blend culture across species, you're not just crossing two cultures. You're crossing over two different genetic histories. You might find cases where an assumed culture just doesn't seem to mesh with biological necessity... like this. The parallels with other kinds of overlaid cultures are worrisome: how do we distinguish this argument from gender-based culture? (Boys like aggressive action, like sports!) Racially-based? (Blacks like aggressive action, like sports!) What elements of culture are separable from our bodies and which are not? <br /><br />I solve this problem with a few more questions: Which elements of culture MAKE themselves biological necessities? If you get accustomed to fasting, you might find it hard to eat large meals, but that's not genetic. That's culture perpetuating itself through your body. If you're used to violent activity, sitting calmly might be more difficult. Another question: How much is culture genetic, itself? Memes have been likened to genes, and they do spread from parent to child. If those basic ideas are reinforced all through your childhood, they might not mesh well with new, competitive ideas, no matter how much you want to like another culture. If the correlation between genes and memes is noticeable across human subtypes, how much more obvious might it be across sentient species? <br /><br />In short, is Klsk having a culture-biology mismatch, a culture-culture mismatch, a culture-meme mismatch, or all of the above? <br /><br />Finally, does it matter? Is it worth suffering through the various disjuncts between one's given past and chosen future in order to have the culture you want? Nathan Largehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11699073963669402716noreply@blogger.com