Will Societal Creation Be Immoral? Forum: Spacesettlers
Thread: Will Societal Creation Be Immoral?
# 4669 bylucio@... on Dec. 2, 2003, 4:39 p.m.
Member since 2021-10-03
Actually, there *is* an Earthling cannibal society much like the one you
describe. In Papua-New Guinea it is common among some tribes to eat to
dead; usually the corpse is eaten by the family, and the women and
children get the betters parts - e.g., the brain. Unfortunately that
practice has lead to the spread of the Kuru, a prion disease analogous
of the mad cow disease in humans. See for instance
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/04/030411071024.htm
strongly that the habit persists.
Xenophile wrote:
(...)
> _____THE CANNIBALS_____
>
> In this society, the dead are disposed of by a touching eulogy,
> followed by a communal dinner. Guess what the main course is? Also,
> they have capital punishment, with the body being consumed by the
> next of kin. If the family of the perpetrator invites the family of
> the victim to dine, this is seen as the ultimate in apology,
> forgiveness, and reconciliation between families. Dueling is allowed
> in certain rare cases, and the body of the slain is divided between
> the victor and the next of kin of the slain. Again, sharing the meal
> indicates that the matter, whatever it was, is now settled, and no
> revenge or continuance of hostility will be engaged in. They are
> vaguely aware that that there are others in the Solar System that
> consider them immoral, but come on, just because they've found a way
> of dealing with the dead that is at once more practical and more
> personal than tossing them in the ground and forgetting about
> them? "At least we're not like those promiscuous, shameless
> Liberationists!"
(...)