I think there’s a related problem that humans are evolved to fight and compete with each other, and a LOT of us/them seem to object to engineering of human nature/behavior. It’s not clear that there IS a path to be found between people defecting and ruining the utopia and people losing their identity/individualism as they’re modified to cooperate better.
Well, if competition could be channelled as e.g. sports events involving meaningful but not strictly essential prizes, it needn’t be incompatible with utopia.
That’s rather my point. Utopia is either boring or unpleasant (for the losers, which must exist, for competition and relative status measures to be meaningful). Which makes it very hard to write or think about, except in the very abstract.
Yes, I’ve participated in that kind of contest, but I wouldn’t call it a conflict, and it’s certainly not a likely replacement for the actual status, economic, and mating competitions that makes life interesting for most, and unpleasant for many.
I think there’s a related problem that humans are evolved to fight and compete with each other, and a LOT of us/them seem to object to engineering of human nature/behavior. It’s not clear that there IS a path to be found between people defecting and ruining the utopia and people losing their identity/individualism as they’re modified to cooperate better.
I don’t think a utopia where there are no humans fighting and competing with each other makes sense. That sounds really boring.
Well, if competition could be channelled as e.g. sports events involving meaningful but not strictly essential prizes, it needn’t be incompatible with utopia.
That’s rather my point. Utopia is either boring or unpleasant (for the losers, which must exist, for competition and relative status measures to be meaningful). Which makes it very hard to write or think about, except in the very abstract.
Have you never lost a conflict and felt that it was fair and just and that you were honored to have gotten to duel with such a majestic being?
And then learned from it, and become the winner in the next match?
(note, am utopian fiction author)
Yes, I’ve participated in that kind of contest, but I wouldn’t call it a conflict, and it’s certainly not a likely replacement for the actual status, economic, and mating competitions that makes life interesting for most, and unpleasant for many.
I was talking about actual status contests, economic or mating competition. It’s possible to feel acceptance in loss even in the world we have today.
— Longfellow