An advanced amphibious alien species that birth hundreds of young at a time. For the sake of their ecosystem and as a biological imperative, they must allow their young to be preyed upon.
The young are laid in eggs on land and must travel to the ocean after hatching. They are slow, clumsy, and vulnerable on land, and hunted in droves by predators from the sky, on the land, and at the shore.
Despite their technology, wisdom, and spirituality, they must allow this violence, and many even embrace it. But also, some sacrifice more than others.
They have a pheromone system strong enough to sense genes, and have a strong sense of genetic memory.
The Alpha Genome are allowed to breed by the hundreds each. At any time up to 40% of the total population may be related to AG, with varying degrees of access to that genetic memory. The AG and lesser Genomes are a Family, a nation, a technology, a resource, and a religion. They are a species that places great emphasis on genetic "purity".
Much of popular culture is just rehashed genetic memories that induce something like a species- or culturally-specific emotion roughly equivalent to nostalgia.
Memories are altered by Hebbian Learning. When a memory is recalled it is changed due to coactivations of neurons at time of recall.
The genetic memories work similarly.
The Genomes themselves are like gods and demiurges and demons. But there are individuals or clusters who represent them, or claim to represent them, or who acquire disproportionate power through other niches.
The pheromones and genetic memories also make them more social even than humans, and they can empathize and socially intuit at a higher resolution. They experience and propagate both love and hate in dimensions beyond our ability to perceive.
Although they suffered terribly when the technologically superior Americans first colonized their world, the Alpha Genome were eventually elected minority rule over Earth geopolitics, and the nations that allied with them during the period of American colonization prosper under this new regime.
Over time their social technologies, the genetic memories and superior intuition, proved more powerful than guns and missiles.
Despite their similar intelligence and reasoning skills, because humans aren't part of the Genomes and can't experience the genetic memories, they do not feel the same degree of empathy or emotional volatility towards humans as they evoke from each other.
Humans are not socially equitable, but it is different than persecution humans impose upon themselves. Both species continue to inflict far more suffering on themselves than against each other.
The mechanism of the geopolitical takeover of earth involved a targeted effort to rebrand political power and leadership roles as a kind of service industry.
Through this campaign, a critical mass including even some of the staunchest American individualists were eventually convinced to largely acquiesce organization and administration.
Although in minority control, they are acutely aware of their vulnerability should humanity choose to organize against them.
Fascinating! I think I heard the phrase "cells that fire together wire together" before, probably from you, but this is the first time I'd really looked at Hebbian learning. also this: "empathize and socially intuit at a higher resolution" clicked for me - I thought it was a great way to phrase the idea.
ReplyDeleteIt's "neurons that fire together wire together", but ya that's Hebbian Learning. It's a core idea in cognitive neuroscience, behaviorial neuroscience, and many connectionist neural network architectures.
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