[MUD-Dev] Gender and Mud Development

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad <olag@ifi.uio.no>]

Caliban Tiresias Darklock wrote:

[Caliban's common-interest mudsex theory...]

> Remember, evolution dictates that the one and only purpose in any human
> being's life is to breed. Everything else is an artificial goal.

PURPOSE

Of course not.  That is about as stupid as saying that the sole purpose of a
car is to evolve blue-prints of car designs.  Or that the sole purpose of
MUDs is to evolve code-bases. (ok, that could make some sense)

"Purpose" is about values. You can adopt the viewpoint of genes, in which
the human role is to be a carrier. I think you would be better off by
adopting the viewpoint of self, in which the genes are a tool, and you are
the purpose.  Or better yet, the unknown external entity, for whom evolution
is a tool, and the purpose is some unknown information. Hopefully related to
us.  Remember this, there are people that decide to not have kids for
philosophical and purposeful reasons.

Your statement assumes that evolution has intrinsic value.  That is a
relgious viewpoint in which nature becomes God.  Is that on topic?  Anyone
working on a scientific-religious MUD, christian MUD, jewish MUD, muslim
MUD?


MUDSEX

If you insist on the sociobiological viewpoint: it isn't obvious that women
raised in a neutral culture would select men that they want to live with for
mating.  I believe differences can be sexually exciting, and genetically
sound, wheras stability and low conflict is good for raising kids.  Could
explain the many divorces in modern western cultures, and the evolution of
arranged weddings in earlier cultures.  Some sociobiologist claim that women
prefer symetrical "powerful" men that somehow stand out, and men prefer
younger women whose butt is wider than the tummy region by a certain ratio.
(if this is true, then women would have most influcence in the genetic
selction I think. In psychology there are different, partially
contradictory, theories for attraction AFAIK.)

Attempt at adopting those theories to a MUD: men can easily believe that the
female players are young women with an attractive butt, so they will have
mudsex with anyone that reminds them of something female like. Women would
go for those that stand out, which could mean carefully made descriptions,
roleplaying capabilites, or those that have power, admins or players with
knowledge about the system.  Ack, a lot fewer. (I don't think this holds, we
all live in a culture and have personal experiences which leads to
individual preferences, but I think there could be some limited truth to
that...)
--
Ola




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