Re: Medtech a la Los

G'day Adrian,

I do like the fact you've tried to figure out a way of dealing with an
SG
clone force, I just have one problem (which I guess is a major problem
I'm
having with this entire conversation) and that is why should the clones
think of themselves as expendible? 

These clones are genetically human in everyway, their production may not
be, but they are. We haven't figured out what it is that gives all
animals
the desire to survive, but breeding a clone isn't going to remove it. I
'd
say it was an odds on bet that your clone force would revolt, maybe not
the
first time a group got left behind, but eventually. 

An immediate response to this point I guess would be the claim that
their
"limited socialisation" has got that covered:
a) they're not trained to expect more out of life, but in counterpoint
neither were the Russian peasants, for instance, who were treated as
virtual slaves for centuries but they certainly demanded change in a
rather
spectacular fashion
b) they're not mentally developed enough to have such higher thoughts,
these clones are grown flat out and there's no mental room for them to
start to grasp the higher and abstract concepts which lead to
independent
thoughts, but in counterpoint to this I'd have to say that they're
obviouslly developed enough to take in basic field training, so they'd
be
advanced enough to have thoughts of independence - any parent of a child
that's hit 2+ will tell you independent thoughts come early, tough
(loud,
and often in the middle of supermarkets and toy sotores when the word No
is
mentioned), but non-the-less early, much earlier then when they could
grasp
battlefield drills.

Maybe it is my own distaste for the concept that is colouring my
thoughts
here, but I really can't see a clone force as a viable longterm option,
especially if they're considered and treated as expendibles. Oppression
leads to revolution... eventually (OK maybe that's the in, SG clone
force
is possible if its a recent starter as they haven't had time for the
winds
of discontent to become gale force just yet).

Anyway just another 2 razoos worth ;)

Beth

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Elizabeth Fulton
c/o CSIRO Division of Marine Research
GPO Box 1538
HOBART 
TASMANIA 7001
AUSTRALIA
Phone (03) 6232 5018 International +61 3 6232 5018
Fax 03 6232 5053 International +61 3 6232 5053

email: beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au