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Intelligence isn't the highest point of evolution merely a facet being explored.
01/02/2008 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
Let's talk evolution, suggests Uncle Geoff. The natural selection variety not that intelligent design malarky and how it applies to the human race. Be warned: You're going to feel rather insignificant after reading below.
Hello everyone
Let's talk evolution. The natural selection variety not that intelligent design malarky and how it applies to the human race.
Think about what I've said at the opening of this editorial. Not only about how insignificant you're going to feel after reading below but also intelligence isn't all that it cracks out to be. It should have the same effect as when earlier people had to reconcile themselves that the Earth was no longer the centre of the universe.
It recently dawned on me that Man has been thinking himself as the height of evolution without digging any deeper. There's a certain amount of bias here cos there's no one to argue the case against how Man sees his place on this planet. All right. There's me but I tend to look at the bigger picture of everything and contest it occasionally as well.
The Earth would continue quite happily along without the human race. Might even be better for it without industrial pollutants. If the same was applied to other inhabitable planets then we would have to reconcile ourselves with being even less significant in evolutionary terms than we suppose. A rare occurrence that rarely lasts. If we don't nuke ourselves out of existence then running out of resources or polluting ourselves to extinction seem viable choices that mankind is not the pinnacle of evolution.
As evolution has invariably pointed out, unless there was a fluke gap, any species would die out in a few generations if it wasn't contributing to the overall ecology. Well, if not die out then evolve into a new form. Man's current survival at present is dependent on trying to stay ahead of its own damage to the environment. There isn't anything in the wings of our own species waiting to come to the fore to take over when Man fails. The dinosaurs did better than us with the significant evolutionary link back to them being our current bird population.
In its broadest approach, intelligence is a spin of the evolutionary wheel. It isn't a requirement of evolution. One only has to look at the insect world, one of the longest surviving range of creatures, to see that they were here before us and more likely after we're gone. They might be small in size but they are probably the most dominate life-form on this planet. Yet, in all its diversity, a level of intelligence equivalent doesn't exist. This has nothing to do with their size, after all, insects can be born with them or even make their own. Many have their own communities and even wars, yet their population carries on despite a couple hundred or so species becoming extinct annually. The number of insects is greater than the importance of any one individual. Most species are hard-wired with the needs of their own existence. Man is unusual in that he can be adapted by his own education but needs a longer life-span to be programmed with all that knowledge. That puts a slow dampner on any rapid evolutionary change.
If anything, it should be a sharp reminder than Mankind is a fluke that survived climate change, allowed to take over for a fraction of the time the dinosaurs populated the world. This time, let's be really fatalistic. Even without global warming, humans are a species standing on the edge of an abyss. A meteorite crash. A deadly viral epidemic. A quick change in weather conditions. Add to the list and take your pick, there's plenty to choose from that are all potentially fatal. Even with Man's spread across the planet, mankind could be wiped out in a couple generations with no replacement.
Intelligence is something that evolution has tried in passing. Primates are the pinnacle of where intellect was leading with brain development and yet really hasn't spawned any variants, as dinosaurs did with birds, to continue the line. When mankind dies out, there won't be a ready replacement to replace our civilisation. I mean, if it was a success story then we should expect to see other species spawn intelligence. The fact that it hasn't only tends to re-enforce the belief that our form of creative intelligence is just a random element on the evolutionary wheel. One would have to look seriously at the insect world and even such as the humble but numerous cockroach to think we might well be looking at what could well be our successor but purely in terms of taking over the buildings. If insects were capable of abstract thought they might just see mankind as a minor glitch that they exploited over the millennia and get back to their normal business.
With no one here to understand or appreciate it, the ruins of our own civilisation will simply be another indicator for future or off-world archaeologists that there might have been sentient species here once but was missed. A hospitable world given only to wildlife. That also assumes that that there is anyone off-world likely to be travelling this way.
Then again, am I being presumptions here? The SETI scans of the galaxy has revealed other Earth-like planets. Even the Drake Equation for calculating the number of possible sentient species out there only speculates a little on how many would reach a technological age let alone how many will survive or even considered this aspect let alone travel to meet us. None of it looks promising, especially if as I point out that intelligence is pretty much a blind alley that might not be explored a second time after a single attempt on any one planet. It reduces the chances of intelligent life in the universe to incredibly small odds let alone be in the same time frame as ourselves. We might well reduce the odds of us being the only intelligent species in our time frame quite considerably and even more insignificant.
Ultimately, Mankind is evolution's one chance at trying out intelligence and we, as a species, seems unlikely to have a dynasty lasting more than a couple millennia. That leaves an interesting scenario where our time here pales in significance and further reduces the chances of intelligence life in the rest of the universe. We might well receive their messages one day but only the ghosts of another sentient species biting the dust, waving as they pass into the annals of their own history.
Are we capable of surviving? I suppose that, to coin Darwin, depends on the survival of the fittest and how lucky we are. There is a need for Man to look at its collective ego and hone its own ability to survive and prove that intelligence has a place on the evolutionary wheel. If we are going to be fit as a species then we have to work to stay there. If we don't then we'll just be one of many joining the list of evolution's failures. Barely a footnote on the life on this planet or galaxy.
I give a scorched toast to mankind. I might even put some butter on it to make it easier to chew. Adding the point that Man was given a shot to show that intelligence could work but failed because it didn't truly understand what it was it was given. For in evolution's survival of the fittest, Man might not be as fit as he believes. Could almost be the making of a Science Fiction story, couldn't it? As we're living in a Science Fiction age, I could well be typing mankind's epitaph.
Thank you, take care, good night, be safe and count your generations.
Geoff Willmetts
editor: SFCrowsnest.co.uk
Ponder Point: I think above says it all, don't you?
A real Zen thought:Stature is limited by the size you think you are.
Modesty Blaise fans please note: Check out the UK's WH Smith website for 'Modesty Blaise Companion' and you might find the deluxe version's price not as much as it once was. I won't know for sure until I have my own copy and they can't have many copies at the original price.
Another real Zen thought but this time for potential writers: If you can express an opinion independently of others and aren't likely to bend to the masses then you might show potential as a writer.
Zen for those who are scared by all the instructions below: Many of the instructions are things you should be doing automatically if you're developing your writing skills. If you do them already then focus on the ones that you don't get right. They are there to help you as much as me to get the best writing from you. If you think you're 80% there then I'll help you get the final 20%. Trust me, I'm an editor and I can get things right.
BOOK REVIEWS
Do you love books?
Do you like curling up and reading a book?
Do you have a preference for fantasy, SF or horror?
Do you find it the greatest pastime you have next to being on your computer?
Are you very vocal about what you like and don't like in what you read?
Would you like to share your thoughts with others about books?
Would you like an endless supply of books to do this with?
Do you live in the UK?
If you've been nodding your head up to this point then link in below and see if you have what it takes to be a reviewer at SFCrowsnest. If you have that special knack to read and write or want to develop said skill then the only way you're going to find out is to take the plunge yourself rather than wait for others to do it first. Reading a lot of books is a requisite for any writer. Being able to say what makes them good or bad hones your own skills. It's got to be better than waiting for the sun to come out as the winter draws near. It's also amazing how much you can read in an hour a day.
If you've survived this far in the editorial, let me reiterate something from the website newsletter and the above editorial. As you can see from the main page, we have one of the biggest SF/fantasy/horror monthly reviews columns on the Net. Our success has increased the number of books that comes in and our policy is to read everything and give it a roadtest before giving a review so you have some idea of what you're letting yourself in for. You want the bottom line about what you're going to choose to read. That means we need people actually willing to read the book and tell others they're opinion in reviews. For that, we're always on the outlook for more reviewers.
Do you think you have what it takes to review a book? It's a skill that can be easily mastered and we need a few more. If you love fantasy, we have more than enough to keep you busy for instance.
Apart from the ability to put words into sentences, you also need to know how to précis, do a little research on associated subjects and can express opinions constructively about the good and bad points about the books you read. We even let you choose from our pile of received books rather than foster something on you that you wouldn't normally read. You'll even get a little editorial help in how to write good copy and that can always lead to other things. I did say you have to love books and willing to read beyond your favourite authors, didn't I?
If you like reading books in the genre and can average two or three a month, can really think and show you can write a decent review and, most importantly, live in the British Isles (sorry, expense, time and distance travelled mostly prohibits elsewhere), then use the link below and see our requirements. We can't pay you but a review for the price and regular supply of new books, this has to be a good incentive to see if you have what it takes.
Do you think you're up to writing a review? If you think you can, then you're really going to think you've landed your hands in the biscuit tin. It won't hurt to try and see if you have the right stuff by sending me a sample review. If you want an added incentive, it can also be good for your CV.
Look up the Review Guidelines by linking here: with a press of a mouse button.
SHORT STORY SLUSH PILE
We always have an interest in short stories which can be anything from one to thirty or so pages long. We're always willing to give short story writers a chance to be seen if they can withstand my scrutiny even if we can't pay for their efforts, your material will be seen by a lot of people. If you can get a short story written well then it'll make it easier to move up to novel-length.
Look up the Short Stories Link by linking here with your mouse.
FLASH OR ONE-PAGE FICTION
We've also a teaching ground of one page stories, so check out the rules elsewhere on the website. It's far too easy to just write and write and hope something good comes out of it. What writing a one page story does is test your ability to control your word count and still tell a story in a concise way. This doesn't mean we don't accept stories of different lengths - a short story can be anything up to 30-40 pages long after all - but opens up the means for really short stories from ideas that don't need as much space.
Flash fiction stories by linking here: with your mouse.
NOVEL-LENGTH SAMPLES IN THE FIRST INSTANCE
For those keeping track, I'm actually now caught up but don't tell everyone as I'm undecided as to whether to keep looking at novel-length story samples, move over specifically to short stories - which we do anyway for the website - or get a couple of my own book projects completed. The latter, I still intend to do anyway.
There might not be much of a wait unless I get a deluge, however those sending in ebook samples, please read the Guidelines by linking here with your mouse here or through the bottom line menu on the opening page of the SFC website.
They are there to help you do some of the right things and reduce the number of times I'm repeating myself over silly grammatical errors and spelling mistakes that you shouldn't be making if you're serious about becoming a writer. It makes editing a lot easier if any editor has less work pointing out poor English which you should have been sorted out in the first place and more focused on other areas of your work that deal with plot and the other serious elements of storywriting. As a writer, it is your command of the English language and its grammar that will show how serious you are about writing.
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT WRITING BUT AFRAID TO ASK
General advice for those who want to become writers of any sort: There's an old editorial adage, if you can't aim for perfection why should an editor nurse-maid you to that state? Nominally, my job is to catch minor glitches not total mishaps. If you're a writer, then you should understand the words, sentences and grammar of the job you're supposed to be writing or are you considering it as mundane and boring as any other job to get right? Fall in love with making every sentence the best you're ever written, read up and understand the rules of grammar. Put the time in researching any subject you're using in the story. Be prepared to put a story away for a few weeks and go back to it for a self-edit. Even I do that. You look good. I make you look better but you have to start off with good.
A lot of the time, errors will just stare you in the face when you didn't see them the first time round. Once you know where your weaknesses are, they can be sorted out and allow you to move a little higher up the ladder towards making your material look its best and more importantly, getting your material seen by readers.
The link here will show you the Common Problems Link page and what I see mostly with your mouse. It's the smart writer who doesn't get caught out with these.
Good luck. Geoff
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