Monday, May 21, 2007





Peter Watts ("Blindsight") ponders the most efficient method of detecting potential "zombies" among us. I'm weirdly enamored of the idea that some of the human population is nonsentient but capable of pulling off a most convincing show. And I can't help but speculate what the social repercussions might be if we actually detected a scattered subpopulation of neurological zombies in our midst.

Would we deign to consider them "human" in the conventional sense of the word? Would we actively fear them or merely find them puzzling, as we might a person with a novel cognitive disorder?

But it gets weirder. Watts suggests that "zombies" might actually be smarter than baseline humans, in which it's possible that their ostensible humanity, aside from serving as a prudent social facade, might mask astounding capabilities.

Could "zombies," if they exist, play a role in the cryptoterrestrial mythos? Are they the "aliens" we encounter time and again, engaged in inscrutable activities in the vicinity of exotic craft?

(See this related post for more.)

3 comments:

borky said...

Mac, isn't something along these lines implied in most, if not all the mythologies/religions about the very 'Gods' themselves?

In the Judaeo-Christian tradition, much is made of the fact only humans, unlike all other beings, including - if not especially - 'angels', are capable of choice.

In the Islamic tradition, there's the proposition all humans are born muslims, i.e., they start their lives 'submitting' to the Will of God, but with the capacity, through the process of exposure to other humans, to gradually drift into 'heedlessness'.

Even in the Buddhist tradition, when Lord Gautama first attains enlightenment as Buddha, he initially decides complete transmission of his understanding is probably impossible, and a half-*rsed attempt might even lead to catastrophe.

But then some of the 'Gods' appear before him, persuading him if he doesn't even make the attempt then there is no hope for anyone, even them.

And the thing about 'Gods' is they're by and large smarter than humans, they're possessed of astounding capabilities, and they can be mistaken for 'mere' humans, viz a variety of episodes in the Old Testament, Ancient Greek mythology, and probably every religion/mythology going.

Just a thought.

mourning of the living dead said...

Zombies.

Zombies?

Zombies!?!

Aaaaghghhhh! Lemme outta here! RUN!!!

x said...

Zombies deserve to vote and take as many zombie brides as they need. As long as they eat human flesh behind closed doors we should treat them like everyone else...except robots because they are evil.