[footfootfoot]

babies and bathwater.

In a hive, the individual is not only unimportant, but effectively doesn't exist. Only the group exists.

Imagine for a moment there were no drugs as we know them. When a human gets sick either they live or they die, and presumably the gene pool gets stronger over time. Not treating the sick makes for a stronger, healthier hive. It also has other consequences, but for now I'm limiting to discussion to health of the hive, not individual cases of "Well, I wouldn't be alive." I doubt I would be alive today if not for medicine. I might have lived but maybe not for long.

Selfishly speaking, of course we want medicine of some form or other, but if we weren't self aware and only knew "the hive", any individual from the hive would be expendable. Even the queen. If she dies, a new queen takes her place.

I'm not promoting eugenics, I'm only pointing out what I think is a consequence of medicine. How does one make a trade-off? Is this good for me or good for everyone?

I may be out to lunch here, but it's something I think about, being a selfish person I'm glad I am alive and my friends are alive and my kids are alive and I'm glad I can take antibiotics when I get lyme disease.