Hey.... Grey goo. Only playing semantics can you pretend such a man-made thing is unarguably no different from anything else found in nature.Skipjack wrote:Cars are dangerous too, so are guns and coal powerplants... The world is dangerous and new technologies can be abused, but I think that one can say that generally technology has always improved our lives.Yes, there are huge success stories, but to pretend there is no danger here is foolish in the extreme.
And these things happen in nature all the time! All the time!If the same gene sequences that makes corn more disease resistant, were to turn a pest feeding on it just as disease resistant, one could easily create a serious problem.
Now if your argument was against the whole issue with licensing and patents of seeds, then we are talking. I do take issue with that, since obviously it is impossible to prevent these genetically modified corns to spread and then going after people that have these grow in their fields (often by secondary transfer from a neighbouring farm) is just outright wrong.
Patenting genetic sequences is also something that I take issue with. You can not patent something that already existed and that you merely discovered.
These are the very real issues that I have a problem with. The zombie apocalypse is science fiction.
GATTACA is coming.
You can do anything you want with laws except make Americans obey them. | What I want to do is to look up S. . . . I call him the Schadenfreudean Man.
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GIThruster
- Posts: 4686
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 8:17 pm
Sorry but that's just all ignorant drivel.
Although it's not fair to say the life is particularly fragile, it is easily disturbed and there are more ways to do great harm than one can list. Pretending this is like a car is asinine in the extreme. And this is why there needs to be public policy--because of morons who can't see a danger even when it slaps them in the face.
OTOH, I do believe that technologu generally does much more good than harm, and that abundance is in our future.
http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_diamandi ... uture.html
Although it's not fair to say the life is particularly fragile, it is easily disturbed and there are more ways to do great harm than one can list. Pretending this is like a car is asinine in the extreme. And this is why there needs to be public policy--because of morons who can't see a danger even when it slaps them in the face.
OTOH, I do believe that technologu generally does much more good than harm, and that abundance is in our future.
http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_diamandi ... uture.html
"Courage is not just a virtue, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." C. S. Lewis
Only if people have the sense to keep government in check. E.g. staying on the middle path between Huxley and Orwell.GIThruster wrote:Sorry but that's just all ignorant drivel.
Although it's not fair to say the life is particularly fragile, it is easily disturbed and there are more ways to do great harm than one can list. Pretending this is like a car is asinine in the extreme. And this is why there needs to be public policy--because of morons who can't see a danger even when it slaps them in the face.
OTOH, I do believe that technologu generally does much more good than harm, and that abundance is in our future.
http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_diamandi ... uture.html
Aubrey De Grey disagrees. See his presentations (e.g. at least one of those at TED) where he illustrates the idea by commentating a powerpoint slide of a fraction of human metabolism.Skipjack wrote:Ridiculous comparison again. It is in no way different.You compare hybridization and animal husbandry with direct genetic manipulation? Sure, if you look at it as doing watch repair with a battleship.
All I say is: Corn
You can do anything you want with laws except make Americans obey them. | What I want to do is to look up S. . . . I call him the Schadenfreudean Man.
That's all you ever say. Most of the time I just ignore whatever you write. "Corn" is probably the most sensible thing you've said lately.Skipjack wrote:Ridiculous comparison again. It is in no way different.You compare hybridization and animal husbandry with direct genetic manipulation? Sure, if you look at it as doing watch repair with a battleship.
All I say is: Corn
And that little brief period of time (50 years or so) when Eugenics was an accepted part of Science plays no part in their concern, of course.Skipjack wrote: But anyway, the die hard critics really dont have any arguments other than their religious believes that somehow this is evil and bad and will result in horrible damage and destruction. The only evidence they can cite for this being science fiction novels and movies.
Yawn!
I can't imagine why people are so worried about what scientists are up to.
After all, they wouldn't do anything weird or disgusting or anything.
‘What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.’
— Lord Melbourne —
— Lord Melbourne —
Gott sei dank für das! One of you is quite enough.Skipjack wrote:I disagree with many people. Not everyone can think on my level, you knowAubrey De Grey disagrees.
‘What all the wise men promised has not happened, and what all the damned fools said would happen has come to pass.’
— Lord Melbourne —
— Lord Melbourne —
More nonsense! The commies did lots of crazy stuff. Nothing ever came of it. Next!After all, they wouldn't do anything weird or disgusting or anything.
I admit that this is disgusting and disturbing. No question about it! It makes me wimper and I am not squeamish. BUT if you continued to read the article, you will find that it actually lead to benefit many, many humans later. Luckily science has given us the knowledge and technology that allows us to do without gruesome experiments like these these days (for the most part)and we are all tooo quick to look down on these things in the past.
No it does not. Eugenics has very little to do with this topic.And that little brief period of time (50 years or so) when Eugenics was an accepted part of Science plays no part in their concern, of course.
I am not so sure it is real (the dog video). I watched it and wondered how the dog's head could move if all the neck muscles and tendons had been severed. I get the jaw, ears etc, but not the head itself.
Beh.
No matter as it falls into my bin of, "If you can think of it, some one has tried it".
Beh.
No matter as it falls into my bin of, "If you can think of it, some one has tried it".
The development of atomic power, though it could confer unimaginable blessings on mankind, is something that is dreaded by the owners of coal mines and oil wells. (Hazlitt)
What I want to do is to look up C. . . . I call him the Forgotten Man. (Sumner)
What I want to do is to look up C. . . . I call him the Forgotten Man. (Sumner)
Roundabout way of saying you have more authority than AdG on the subject...Skipjack wrote:I disagree with many people. Not everyone can think on my level, you knowAubrey De Grey disagrees.
You can do anything you want with laws except make Americans obey them. | What I want to do is to look up S. . . . I call him the Schadenfreudean Man.