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From: mccarthy@brahms.BERKELEY.EDU (John Edward McCarthy)
Newsgroups: talk.philosophy.misc
Subject: Re: Population control & Freedom
Message-ID: <15675@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>
Date: Sun, 14-Sep-86 21:07:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.15675
Posted: Sun Sep 14 21:07:42 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Sep-86 02:35:28 EDT
References: <3013@watmath.UUCP> <11700397@inmet>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: mccarthy@brahms.UUCP (John Edward McCarthy)
Organization: University of California, Berkeley
Lines: 16

>Sure, let's preserve genetic diversity:  let's  stock  our  zoos,
>collect  seeds,  freeze  some  animal sperm and eggs for future
>use. Wilson's statement, however, is ridiculous. Species die  out
>all the time, with or  without  human  help.  A  few  hundred  or
>thousand  species is a drop in the ocean.  And we will soon start
>creating new species. The problem is of *some*  importance  but
>has no relevance whatsoever to population control.
>		Jan Wasilewsky
 
 Prior to increase in human ability to destroy the environment, species
died out at an average rate of about 2 per century.  Now it's in the
thousands and increasing.  The arrogance inherent in your anthropocentric
chauvinism is exceeded only by the myopia exhibited by your belief that
human life in a world barren of ecological diversity would not be dreadfully
impoverished.
		    John McCarthy