In Praise of Life on the Edge
by Raymond M. Coulombe

Evolution happens on the edges of things. It's the creatures living on the fringe that become dominant as conditions change. Critters in tough environments are more likely to develop that special advantage that allows them to thrive in conditions that wipe out other life forms. It's all well and good to be perfectly evolved for average conditions, but what happens when conditions change? Where are the dinosaurs today?

Human physical evolution hasn't progressed at a particularly fast pace in the last few thousand years. It hasn't had to. We developed culture, a new way to evolve. Culture can change much faster than physical bodies. It's much easier than evolving wings or gills. If humans discover their culture isn't cutting it, they can change the culture, or adopt a culture that is more successful.

Now I'm not saying humans alter their cultures without pain and effort. Many peoples have died out rather than change their culture. The longer their culture has been successful, the harder it is for them to give it up. That is why "barbarians" have been able to overcome "civilized" cultures. Barbarians, living on the fringe, in harsh conditions, develop the flexibility to adapt. The really clever cultures absorbed things from other peoples and grafted them onto their culture.

It happened over and over again in history. The Mongol invaders of China adapted a lot of Chinese civilization. Why not? Much of Chinese culture was superior to their culture. They kept what worked of theirs and added what worked in Chinese culture. The result was a kind of hybrid vitality that caused the culture to spread over a large expanse of the globe.

Still with me good readers? Wondering what all this has to do with Quantum Muse? Quite a lot, actually. The Internet is a new environment for culture to evolve in. So far things have been pretty hectic and free flowing. Those happy days are fading fast. Megamergers, such as the AOL Time/Warner deal, have the ability to stabilize the Internet. More and more is controlled by less and less. They have a big chunk of the Internet, Movies, books, magazines, music, and who knows what else?

It was bad enough when the publishing industry consolidated. Fewer publishers and writers have more control of the publishing bucks. The great middle way of global corporate culture has no room for edgy experimental writing. Instead, new writers eke out a niche on the cultural fringe. They develop their craft in a different environment. They have a chance to evolve. That is why Quantum Muse is able to publish such good writers.

As long as the giants can't kill us, we will get stronger. In fact, we are evolving at a ferocious rate. Look out corporate dinosaurs! We are getting stronger and better. We are the barbarians are at the gate. The cultural future is ours. Life on the edge is good.

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