Mother Nature is Not Our Friend2. Comment #105745 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 6:41 pm
3. Comment #105747 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 6:46 pm
4. Comment #105749 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Diacanu, as Harris points out it is actually broke, so will you help fix it? 5. Comment #105750 by bluebird on January 1, 2008 at 6:53 pm
my musical ability resembles that of a...Bach
6. Comment #105751 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 6:55 pm
as Harris points out it is actually broke,
7. Comment #105752 by Kytescall on January 1, 2008 at 6:56 pm
8. Comment #105753 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Diacanu, my own subjective standard, necessarily. Though I would claim that most people can agree that sociopaths are "broke". 9. Comment #105754 by zdravko on January 1, 2008 at 7:06 pm
Brilliant article. I have always argued with10. Comment #105755 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 7:08 pm
my own subjective standard, necessarily.
11. Comment #105756 by Veronique on January 1, 2008 at 7:08 pm
*Lazily skims*
12. Comment #105757 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 7:11 pm
13. Comment #105758 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Diacanu, exactly what? That something is subjective does not make it useless. Or do you think we should just disregard ethics? 14. Comment #105759 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 7:14 pm
That something is subjective does not make it useless.
15. Comment #105760 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Diacanu, then correct me by answering the question. 16. Comment #105761 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Diacanu, then correct me by answering the question.
17. Comment #105762 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Diacanu, "exactly what?"18. Comment #105763 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 7:27 pm
19. Comment #105764 by robotaholic on January 1, 2008 at 7:28 pm
20. Comment #105769 by gobbles on January 1, 2008 at 7:41 pm
21. Comment #105770 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 7:46 pm
lets say it becomes legal for parents to use genetic engineering to produce their offspring to optimum levels of fitness.
22. Comment #105771 by The_Stone on January 1, 2008 at 7:47 pm
23. Comment #105772 by Wosret on January 1, 2008 at 7:48 pm
The naturalistic fallacy. Perhaps the most common informal fallacy there is. I run into it constantly, and like (herhaps?) everyone I was once guilty of it myself. It is something that I really think needs to be pointed out before people realise it. Nature is really not our friend in any way. If you add up all the artifical things, and all the natural things, and decide by ratio which seems more inclined to benefit us, and which doesn't. I think the answer would be quite obvious.24. Comment #105773 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 7:55 pm
25. Comment #105775 by gobbles on January 1, 2008 at 7:59 pm
But again, who says what "fit", is?
26. Comment #105776 by BMMcArdle on January 1, 2008 at 8:04 pm
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.27. Comment #105777 by Wosret on January 1, 2008 at 8:04 pm
It is also important to point out that it won't be long before humans will be creating life. Engineering biological machines for various tasks. Including but not limited to creating fuels from water by means of matabolic processes. 28. Comment #105778 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:05 pm
29. Comment #105779 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:07 pm
30. Comment #105781 by dhweaver on January 1, 2008 at 8:11 pm
31. Comment #105782 by Wosret on January 1, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Diacanu, I don't see why anyone has to convince you that it is good or bad. Or useful, it seems that it is largely considered useful, and will almost certainly happen regardless of what you or I may think. Also, it will happen almost certainly after we are dead, or at least when we are quite old.32. Comment #105784 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:17 pm
and will almost certainly happen regardless of what you or I may think
33. Comment #105785 by gobbles on January 1, 2008 at 8:20 pm
34. Comment #105786 by Wosret on January 1, 2008 at 8:21 pm
What's it matter? If it's better for whatever we're doing now, then isn't that all that matters? What's wrong with fishmen? Kevin Costner didn't look all that bad... 35. Comment #105788 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Diacanu, so you don't think it would be a good idea to enforce some arbitrary standard? I agree. What I don't agree with is your objections to even making the technology available.36. Comment #105790 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:31 pm
37. Comment #105791 by Damien White on January 1, 2008 at 8:32 pm
How is the artificial modification of the human genome any less damaging to the process of evolution than the development of antibiotics?38. Comment #105792 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:33 pm
What I don't agree with is your objections to even making the technology available.
39. Comment #105793 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:36 pm
For some reason people feel that genetic modification goes hand-in-hand with fascism.
40. Comment #105794 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Diacanu, well yeah, so what? I enjoy debate for the sake of debate. If you don't, we can just leave it at that. 41. Comment #105795 by Janus on January 1, 2008 at 8:39 pm
42. Comment #105796 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:40 pm
43. Comment #105797 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:42 pm
He has a particularly strong emotional attachment to the way humans have existed for so many centuries,
44. Comment #105799 by Sigmund on January 1, 2008 at 8:46 pm
45. Comment #105801 by Janus on January 1, 2008 at 8:53 pm
46. Comment #105802 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 8:56 pm
you should say something of substance.
47. Comment #105803 by AshtonBlack on January 1, 2008 at 9:00 pm
48. Comment #105804 by Diacanu on January 1, 2008 at 9:03 pm
49. Comment #105805 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Diacanu, I was actually going to put forward such an example myself. Making the atom bomb available to people of Khan's time would obviously be a bad idea, but why is that? We are not all that different from those people genetically, so what is the difference? Well, our culture of course. We have matured culturally along with the scientific advancements that made the nuclear bomb possible. I suspect the same thing will happen with genetic modifications. There will be gradual advancement leading up to this technology and we will mature culturally along with it. Unfortunately it seems we are lagging a bit behind on the cultural side, but we haven't brought about our own destruction yet, so I trust it won't happen with this technology either. 50. Comment #105807 by Janus on January 1, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Don't why it's so hard to digest for some here. *Shrug*
1. Comment #105744 by Serdan on January 1, 2008 at 6:29 pm
More people need to realize the simple fact that the world is utterly indifferent to our survival. The idea that we are somehow special in any objective sense is not only blindly selfish in the extreme, but ultimately foolish and destructive.
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