You're looking at Less Wrong's discussion board. This includes all posts, including those that haven't been promoted to the front page yet. For more information, see About Less Wrong.

CellBioGuy comments on Maybe we're not doomed - Less Wrong Discussion

9 Post author: Manfred 02 August 2014 03:22PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (46)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: CellBioGuy 02 August 2014 07:39:40PM 2 points [-]

Additionally, if the history of life on Earth should show you anything its that nothing ever 'wins'.

Comment author: roystgnr 03 August 2014 02:50:45AM *  2 points [-]

This is true, at least loosely speaking. I'm not sure why you were downvoted. Inducting from "nothing has ever permanently won" to "nothing ever will" would be overconfident, but noticing that nothing has ever permanently won and examining the reasons why might be very instructive.

Comment author: Pentashagon 07 August 2014 05:56:33AM 0 points [-]

Even bacteria? The specific genome that caused the black death is potentially extinct but Yersinia pestis is still around. Divine agents of Moloch if I ever saw one.

Comment author: CellBioGuy 09 August 2014 02:05:43PM 1 point [-]

Its primary hosts are doing great. And it's got nothing on bacillus subtilis or whatever that cyanobacteria with hundreds of billions per cubic meter of seawater is. And even those haven't 'won' in the sense that sometimes gets discussed around here. They're one form among many. Even bacteria are not the main primary producers in all environments - the land-plants take that up over a third of the earth's surface (in a constantly shifting ecological arrangement with other things).