Re: virus: Altruism, Empathy, the Superorganism, and the Prisoner's Dillema

Tim Rhodes (proftim@speakeasy.org)
Sat, 19 Apr 1997 13:30:38 -0700 (PDT)

On Sat, 19 Apr 1997, Reed Konsler wrote:

> >You have departed so far from any accepted definition of altruism that
> >I've ever come across (they all include selflessness) that I can't help
> >wondering if you're using the right word. Are you sure you're not just
> >trying to lever the word into an inappropriate use?
>
> Absolutely! What a great analysis. I don't know if this is a morally
> appropriate thing to do. What do you think?

I think we should leave the morality to someone else (when Tad gets back
he can resume his role as moral arbiter). But is there another word for
what your talking about? If not, we could come up with one. (I'd suggest
"schqirazylratcity", but some find it a little hard to pronounce.)

-Prof. Tim