William McKenzie, in The Dallas Morning News' late, lamented Religion blog, asks a panel of local religious professionals the question, "Do we put too great a premium on our biological lives?" Essentially none of them give a direct answer, so your lowly, humble layman correspondent gives it a go (by citing another, wiser layman, naturally):
No, we don't put too great a premium on our biological life. It's an instinctive part of our species' survival strategy. Other species have evolved other strategies. Wired magazine's Chris Anderson explains:
"Our brains seem wired to resist waste, but we are relatively unique in nature for this. Mammals have the fewest offspring in the animal kingdom, and as a result we invest enormous time and care in protecting each one ... However, the rest of nature doesn't work like that. A bluefin tuna can release 10 million fertilized eggs in a spawning season. Perhaps 10 of them will hatch and make it to adulthood. A million die for every one that survives. But there's good reason for it. Nature wastes life in search of better life."
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