Can we eliminate predation?

On OP:
Apparently everyone agree that the gendankene experiment (elimination of predation in many zoophages) leads inevitably to the Global Zoo scenario. Earthborn and others have convincingly stressed the practical impossibility to manage such a "Global Zoo": monitoring and managing worldwide the populations of tens if not hundreds of thousand of species, each composed of 10^4 to 10^7 individuals is wild fantasy. Furthemore a corollary will be a large scale alteration of evolutionary mechanisms, resulting in unpredictable consequences that might adversely affect entire species and biotopes (not forgetting embarrassing cases like constrictor serpents that notoriously do eat only living preys: IV catheterization and feeding for all anacondas?)

But what strikes me with this scenario and its alleged motives, all news for me, is their unprecedented totalitarian aspect: controlling the lives and behaviors of all individuals of almost all avian and mammalian species on Earth? In the name of moral? Wow! A confirmation of Arthur Koestler's hypothesis that the most terrifying with human collective behavior is not hate or aggressivity but commitments to ideals. Let's bring them lack of suffering: Hey you mice! Yes both of you! Stop copulating or you will make other starve; Hey you Anacondy! Come here for you IV or you will make a conscious animal suffer; etc. And... er... let's think, aren't we forgetting something? Oh yes! Venenous plants and venomous animal species.
 
Alphaba said:

Apparently everyone agree that the gendankene experiment (elimination of predation in many zoophages) leads inevitably to the Global Zoo scenario. Earthborn and others have convincingly stressed the practical impossibility to manage such a "Global Zoo": monitoring and managing worldwide the populations of tens if not hundreds of thousand of species, each composed of 10^4 to 10^7 individuals is wild fantasy. [....]

But what strikes me with this scenario and its alleged motives, all news for me, is their unprecedented totalitarian aspect: controlling the lives and behaviors of all individuals of almost all avian and mammalian species on Earth?

With respect, sir,... what are you smoking, and may I have some?

The question posed in the opening post asks about the feasibility of establishing a degree of unnatural control over the Terran biosphere unprecedented in the entire history of the solar system -- and you are surprised that all of the scenarios proposed that address that question assume an unnatural degree of control? May I assume that if I asked a question about the possibility of intelligent life evolving on the surface of the moon, you would be equally surprised to see that all the solutions assumed a form of life immune to hard radiation and to vacuum?
 
quote:
Originally posted by new drkitten
The question posed in the opening post asks...

Oh, my mistake: I am unfamiliar with many acronyms used on this board. So of course, if "OP" means "opening post" then you're perfectly right in correcting me.

I did guess OP meant something like "original point" and was used to signal a return to the initial topic after a thread has shifted to another topic. In this case I was obviously refering to the whole discussion about the gedankene experiment, including the theoretical justifications for it that surfaced after the opening post.


PS: You can certainly have some of my excellent organic mapacho tobacco from Amazonia. Smoked in a wooden pipe it is quite an experience
 

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