You know me Sir, for that is precisely what I believe, and what I assert all available data indicate is in fact the case. I know of nothing sufficient to question, far less to falsify this grim appraisal.

If you are in possession of contrary data, be good enough to share it. Have you, or has anyone, one shred of empirical evidence -we are all scientists, no?- to support your hopes?

I probably have about the same amount of evidence that you have for your beliefs. Just personal experience and a fair amount of reading. But like I said, I think a good scientific study into the matter would be interesting, enlightening and a lot more valid than our conjecture.

The conservative position does not, as is widely and falsely claimed by liberals, lack compassion. It is one thing to try and to help when this is possible and warranted. It is quite another to suppose that all of the problems of human existence can or even should be eliminated. Indeed, it is not even certain that we are in a position to tell what are problems and what are benefits until long after the event.

I fail to see how this has much to do with conservative or liberal ideology. If you're right, then ideology of any kind becomes pointless. If you're wrong, maybe that lends a little extra credence to liberalism, but doesn't really say much in general. I think both conservatives and liberals start with the assumption that it is possible for peoples lives to be better or worse.

Let us try to put a point upon it if you are willing: How do you envision the struggle for existence being abolished? What is your scenario for the best of all possible worlds?

Good (and very tough) questions. Although maybe I was a little unclear in talking about abolishing the struggle for survival. I intended that statement in the sense of a day-to-day struggle for individual survival. Something that has been pretty well abolished from my life... at least in the way that I intended to mean "struggle."

As for the best of all possible worlds, I'll give it a try. A world where every person has meaningful and interesting work to do that matched their level of ability. Everyone has equal access to resources to reach thier goals. A world where suffering was rare, but everyone has enough knowledge of it to be able to appreciate it's absence. etc..., etc...

Maybe you'll say those things are impossible, and you may be right (although I think I've made clear above that I think we're capable of designing a society that gets closer). But that's only true if human nature never changes. Who says it won't? Our understanding of the human mind is miniscule, but growing rapidly. We may be able to alter ourselves into a more perfect being. Maybe someday we'll be able to transfer our consciousness into a computer simulation and live a life perfectly designed for maximum happiness. I'm not saying these are good or bad ideas, but maybe they will be possible. Your thinking is way too limited here. Maybe you should read more sci-fi novels. Science has made the seemingly impossible possible for centuries now and should continue to do so.