As to the impact of 1% on a genome: that is the genetic difference between human and chimpanzee.... On Nov 12, 2003, at 3:54 PM, David Silberstein wrote: > On Tue, 11 Nov 2003, Mark Englehart wrote: > >> At 11:14 PM 11/9/2003 -0800, David Silberstein wrote: >>> On Sun, 9 Nov 2003, Mark Englehart wrote >>>> and b). learn to see things from the other person's point of >>>> view; something next to impossible for a Dragaeran who isn't a >>>> Tiassa. >>>> >>> >>> Um. I think you are wildly wrong on this last point. > > [snip some examples] > >> >> Okay, I misspoke. What I meant to write was the other *House's* >> point of view. As Vlad has pointed out, a Dragon always thinks >> like a Dragon, a Dzur like a Dzur. They are not inhuman, they >> can develop empathy, but their frame of reference is always >> limited by those animal genes. > > I have my doubts as to whether the "animal genes" have *that* great an > influence on what are 99% human, and I would suggest that rather than > "always limited", I would put it as "usually limited", or even "often > limited". > > As examples of seeing from other Houses' points-of-view, I would point > to Khaavren's friends, who have come to learn how each of the others > thinks, to a certain degree. > > There's also the introduction to /Issola/, where Vlad mentions some of > the rules for politeness among the various Houses, but adds that some, > knowing the rules for the other Houses, will sometimes use those other > rules when meeting someone of that House. > > And speaking of Issola, I would suggest that one of the natures of > that House is to *want* to see things as others do, if only so as to > know how to act appropriately towards those others. > > An amusing thought: It is possible to "borrow" someone's eyes using > magic, as we see Morrolan do in /Issola/. So he was quite literaly > seeing things from Vlad's point-of-view. Heh. > >> >> I think that this is an allegory that Steven has played with all >> along that Theodore Sturgeon would have been most impressed with: >> only if you can transcend thinking with the animal brain can you >> become a human being. >> > > An excellent point, and which prompts me to add that many (most?) > people right here in the real world often have trouble seeing things > as others do. >