From: jsbell@acs.ucalgary.ca (Joshua Bell)
Subject: Re: Prime Directive
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 92 02:29:29 GMT
Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta

In article <A60195@HB.maus.de> Sem_Hoelscher@hb.maus.de (Sem Hoelscher) writes:
>-A57968@HB

>You are referring to "The Preservers"? I think, it was in 'The Paradise
>Syndrom' (that one with the Indians and the machine to destroy the
>dangerous asteroid, where Kirk looses his memories for some time.

'The Preservers' is the term... I was picturing the TOS episode
where they encounter a small group of beings who have human
forms, and Kirk discusses the theory with them... they offered
the theory of parallel evolution.

>     so read on with a grain of salt firmly in hand...
>Hmpf! Now I've got a dictionary about idioms, but this one is not in
>it. (Murphy's law, or so ...) <grin> Could you tell me?

Taking something with a grain of salt means to accept it with the
knowledge thats there's no garuntee that its true. I tend to warp
idioms, which must play hell with attempts at transculture
communication. :)

>I wasn't thinking, why they are all so humanlike, since I think, that
>similar conditions produce similar lifeforms, at least they look alike.
>But it is interesting as well!

I'd accept bipedal creatures decended from pseudo-primates, but
not ones capable of interbreeding with humans, 50's B SciFi
movies notwithstanding.

>[jb] The native american cultures were decimated, and totally unique
>     cultures like the Inca, Aztec, and Maya (and their predecessors)
>     were erased.
>I see - and I find that reasonable, but just partly: The conquered
>cultures certainly had their own diseases! Why did these not erase
>the conquerers?

You are born with immunities to certain diseases, and high
resistance to others. What will give you a slight sniffle can
kill another. This inherent immunity is transmitted genetically
(on a very basic level), and through antibodies in mother's milk,
among other things. Generally, you share this with the people in
your society. The farther disparate your societies are, the less
likely they are to have had exposure to similar diseases in the
past, and had a chance to develop this immunity.

On a semi-related, Robert Bakker, noted Paleantologist offers
this as one explanation for the extinction of the dinosaurs
(continental drift brought together biomes that were vulnerable
to each others diseases etc.). Personally, I disagree that this
was the main reason, tho. :)

>Whats this got to do with Trek?
>
>[jb] Or even the TNG Federation if the Biofilters are accidentally
>     left off on the WAY DOWN during a First Contact mission.
>But they do that? Or am I wrong?

No, but this is prolly one of the reasons why the Federation is
rather paranoid about such things.

>Anyway, to return to the Prime Directive: It is =meant= to keep the
>differences and make use of them instead of erasing them! Just one
>think pops up in my mind: If we had left alone the Inca, we =might=
>have less problems with dirt and so on; once I read that in their
>culture a person was sentenced to death because he/she made a fire
>outside and thus soiled the air! Some centuries ago! And what we do
>with the still partly existing cultures is exactly the opposite!
>We erase these differences and will never know, which potential was
>wasted!

Agreed! I kick the nearest conquestador whenever I think of the
cultures lost (fortunately, they tend to be rare.)

Joshua


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