Ken Hollar
Cadet
Let me start by saying I haven't read the entire thread carefully. I promise I will. I will react to your first post in the thread. You mentioned four objectives of the "Borg Collective."
First, you said they guaranteed an "end to all pain and suffering." Pain and suffering seems part and parcel to all living things as we know them. You said the Borg was going to use humans. Humans as we know them feel pain and suffering. Are you going to give them narcotics? Or are you going to remove nerve endings that signal pain. Most machines have sensors. Steam furnaces, for instance, shut off automatically if there is not enough water to avoid an explosion. The human body itself is a remarkable machine with all kinds of warning signals. If you're going to use the human body how can you improve upon what's already there? Super hearing aids? Hyper vision contacts?
Second, you say in the Borg world "no one is left behind." This contrary to most hive or symbiotic organisms. The individual ant will sacrifice itself to save the collective. The marines, human type, believe in "no man left behind, " but this is not a collective characteristic in general for humans. Humans will get afraid and run away. They will sacrifice others to save themselves. Some will kill for money, and if not kill, begrudge sharing food to the children of the community. Asimov's three rules for Robotics would fit here, but humanity's rules are much murkier. Turn the other cheek, or an eye for an eye? What about the infidel, or nonbeliever, who was never invited in in the first place.
Third you say the collective will bring an end to "needless competition and stress." It's true life for humans can be a rat race. But competition for mates, dating, makes life interesting. Stress is good if it's enjoyable, like sex or competition in sports. I guess we could eliminate outward signs of stress, like Spock, but even he was part human and conflicted. Life as we know it is based on competition from the get go. Thousands of sperm head for the egg but only one makes it. That's life as we know it. If the collective Borg eliminated competition for mates -love, envy, jealousy, pride, and all the rest they would make humans Vulcans - then it would be the Borg Vulcan collective instead of the Borg Human collective.
Fourth, you mention "powers." I haven't read enough to know what those powers might be, or why they would be good for the Borg collective, or any collective. Some people think money is power - others ( the more powerful in my opinion) think it is only a tool. Would increased powers for everyone eliminate the "competition and stress" you mentioned in your third goal for the collective? Would equal powers be like mutually assured destruction between nations - eliminating "competition like you said. Mankind has never developed a weapon he hasn't used. Why would man develop "powers" if he isn't going to use them.?In this collective world who would the enemy be? If everyone was focused on ending suffering and pain why would they need more special powers than they already have?
First, you said they guaranteed an "end to all pain and suffering." Pain and suffering seems part and parcel to all living things as we know them. You said the Borg was going to use humans. Humans as we know them feel pain and suffering. Are you going to give them narcotics? Or are you going to remove nerve endings that signal pain. Most machines have sensors. Steam furnaces, for instance, shut off automatically if there is not enough water to avoid an explosion. The human body itself is a remarkable machine with all kinds of warning signals. If you're going to use the human body how can you improve upon what's already there? Super hearing aids? Hyper vision contacts?
Second, you say in the Borg world "no one is left behind." This contrary to most hive or symbiotic organisms. The individual ant will sacrifice itself to save the collective. The marines, human type, believe in "no man left behind, " but this is not a collective characteristic in general for humans. Humans will get afraid and run away. They will sacrifice others to save themselves. Some will kill for money, and if not kill, begrudge sharing food to the children of the community. Asimov's three rules for Robotics would fit here, but humanity's rules are much murkier. Turn the other cheek, or an eye for an eye? What about the infidel, or nonbeliever, who was never invited in in the first place.
Third you say the collective will bring an end to "needless competition and stress." It's true life for humans can be a rat race. But competition for mates, dating, makes life interesting. Stress is good if it's enjoyable, like sex or competition in sports. I guess we could eliminate outward signs of stress, like Spock, but even he was part human and conflicted. Life as we know it is based on competition from the get go. Thousands of sperm head for the egg but only one makes it. That's life as we know it. If the collective Borg eliminated competition for mates -love, envy, jealousy, pride, and all the rest they would make humans Vulcans - then it would be the Borg Vulcan collective instead of the Borg Human collective.
Fourth, you mention "powers." I haven't read enough to know what those powers might be, or why they would be good for the Borg collective, or any collective. Some people think money is power - others ( the more powerful in my opinion) think it is only a tool. Would increased powers for everyone eliminate the "competition and stress" you mentioned in your third goal for the collective? Would equal powers be like mutually assured destruction between nations - eliminating "competition like you said. Mankind has never developed a weapon he hasn't used. Why would man develop "powers" if he isn't going to use them.?In this collective world who would the enemy be? If everyone was focused on ending suffering and pain why would they need more special powers than they already have?