Re: Hard Sci-fi?

Michael Ash <mike@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> Remus Shepherd <remus@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> >   Religion confers some advantages and some disadvantages.  I doubt
it's
> > something we want to discard before seeing if its advantages are
helpful
> > at all in a new environment.  Actually, I'd expect the social cohesion
of
> > religion to be of some benefit in off-world colonies.

> I don't think it matters whether it's beneficial or not, because I don't

> think we get to consciously make the choice. Religion will flourish or
die 
> as it will, and individuals can only make that choice for themselves
(and 
> sometimes not even then).

   I don't think conscious choice will have anything to do with it.  Space
travel is difficult, and we'll need every advantage we can get.  If
anything,
including religion, gives an advantage in space then I expect it will
flourish
there.  And if it's a disadvantage, it'll ween itself out.

   You're speaking of religion as an individual choice.  I'm looking at it
as an attribute of the species (or the space-travelling subset of the 
species), and thus it will obey something like natural selection.

   Religion evolves.  That's somewhat ironic, now that I think of it.  :)

....                                                                  ... 
Remus Shepherd <remus@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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