Degeneration? Re: Where to now?

Okay, back to my discussion with myself ;-)

> This, of course, a tendency only. But it's sufficient and it surely
> kills innovation. I wonder how much further this tendency will go.

I always found it hard to swallow when SciFi authors wrote about "old
degenerate races". Not only Dr. Brin; it also appeared in the Perry
Rhodan pulp. I always wondered why there was no single brilliant,
energetic, innovative member of this "degenerate species" who would
turn the tide.

Yup, that's naive. Probably read too many stories and/or watched too
many movies where the hero would save the world/universe/everything,
either singlehandely or with (or despite) the help of his/her idiotic
sidekick.

But now I wonder if we haven't already reached the goal of becoming a
"degenerate race". Progress mainly happens in marketing, not in
research and development. And while we have a lot of "hero material"
in our population, none of them is apparently able to make a
difference.

- Klaus