Survival

Survival of the fittest doesn't apply to human beings or any aspect of our social interactions. Howard Rheingold seems to say that humans are "critters" and all the other "critters" "fought each other" to survive therefore so do we critters.

However it was Darwin himself who decried this notion. Survival of the fittest doesn't apply to humanity he shouted. Clearly the fittest may be the least powerful if one is to assume genius intelligence and/or great physical durability or strength. The criminal idiots running our societies may, by far, not be the best of us in any valid genetic sense. I don't even agree that that is what Darwin or his Evolution theory claimed. That is to say that survival of the fittest meant in any way warring or destroying. Rather it seemed to be saying the most able to survive which is the product of an array of reasons rather than the product of critter wars and or "the last critter standing" as Howard seems to suggest. BTW I came across Howard (I prefer to use people's first names rather than surnames when writing) through the interactive interconnecting interdepending Internet. I happened across one of his videos. Very happy I did.

In contrast I believe interdependency and interconnecting for survival are both very logical and practical as to optimal outcome and very natural. The reason we end up in this overly simplified notion of "the prisoner's dilemma" is not anything to do with wanting to kill each other or even not work well together but simply because we are still largely learning all about how things work. As we become better and better we could well, one day, see a world where lakes and forests and seas and air are not negatively effected by our presence but rather even improved. Not because we ultimately reduce our activities but because we learn how to do things in a super clean super renewing and non-destructive way. The ultimate solution of such dilemmas is not the better of so many evils but rather an entirely new approach.

I am very optimistic that we will have this dreamlike world where we can have our cake too.

I think competition is not the same as fighting to destroy your "enemy" in business. I do not believe that the best business comes from such practices. The best computer tech and greatest advancements come when businesses do not destroy or take over each others markets. The best business product comes as a result of the many competing for favor and reward or just plain joy for the many in the marketplace. It is when perversions like criminal anti-trust violators try to take over this competitive process and put a stop to it that we end up with both a decrease in innovation and quality and an increase in costs. Competition is not about destroying your fellow competitors it's about doing ever better and growing and expanding your works and knowledge. Competition is not the opposite of interdependence it can and does work well especially with interdependence-- at it's best employing group works interdependently and even sharing of knowledge. Can we go beyond intellectual property concerns and promote sharing of knowledge while still protecting the individuals right to benefit from the products of thinking? Perhaps mandated licensing; shortening of the term of exclusivity? We will have many more new innovations in medicine once technology is more freely and openly shared by more competitors than we have today as an example.

IBM helped create a booming computer marketplace when it opened up it's pc architecture through licensing. The market is booming in part because we have so much competition in the hardware sector. So many participants competing. Large corporate dominions are not natural, they are twisted inefficiencies. They are walls to a free market. Yet because they have so much money they have paid off enough politicians to make the spin that they are "business" itself. Really being against monopolistic practices is being pro-business. Pro healthy interconnecting vibrant competitive business.

I think the Internet is forcing this natural and efficient and boundlessly potential inter-connectivity and putting a stop to the unnatural fascistic and ultimately self destructive- destroy and dominate model. As it turns, coming together in love and harmony is just exactly what we need to survive.