Slashdot Mirror
Will Genetic Engineering Kill Us?
Kaz Riprock writes "Mark Baard, author of this Wired article was a recent attendee at The Future of Human Nature symposium (that I helped organize). The talks were held at Boston University through the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. A high profile assemblage of well-known thinkers, such as Steven Pinker, Lee Silver, and Marvin Minsky, were invited to speak at the 3 day conference to examine what 'Human Nature' would be like in 50-200 years.
While the article describes a good amount of the 'doom and gloom' which was presented and discussed, it does not quite capture the upside to our potential future aims. One example from the conference was the talk by Christine Peterson, head of The Foresight Institute, on the future use of nanotechnology to better the human condition."
Not if Nanotechnology gets there first.
The slightest change in genetics will cause death. Ask any doctor! They'll all say the same! The penalty for living is...DEATH!
*ducks
Then I better move to Canada.
I've never found it hard at all. I just imagine a democracy where every citizen is as reasonable as I am. Utopia follows :)
read Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. It's a scary world that he describes, looking at it from our point of view; however, from the inhabitants point of view, it's a perfect world. Brainwashed, yes, but very few people are unhappy.
He described a beautiful world. I want to get laid that often and take some soma holidays.
I know this is will become true, how can we current batch of programmers can compete with programmers of the future with thier third arm. They will be able to keep both hands on the keyboard AND STILL USE A MOUSE!
And so you want to stop the paranoia that leads to this kind of work? While not all the books you're probably talking about were good, the list of classics written as a response to fear of a cataclysm is pretty extensive: 1984, Brave New World, Farenheight 451, The Martian Chronicles, Canticle for Leibowitz, Cat's Cradle, etc.
So I say if a little healthy mass-hysteria about genetic engineering or nanotech is required to create great apocalyptic literature, it's a small price to pay.
Genetic engineering does'nt kill people ... People kill people.
All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be
We'll modify ourselves to the point where we're no longer recognisably human. At that point, "we" are dead, and a new species will have taken our place. Yes, I mean that -- eventually, the genetically modified will not be able to interbreed with the unmodified.
We have that now, there called geeks.
An optimist believes we live in the best world possible; a pessimist fears this is true.
Well, if they do try to kill us, we'll just take advantage of the fact that despite their advancement, they'll still think two-dimensionally.
BU is the Hellmouth and Silber is the Beast. Buffy, Buffy, where are you, Buffy?
(Cro-Magnon News Agency) -- Shamans and clan activists are questioning the wisdom of allowing widespread use of newly discovered techniques for artificially producing fire.
A Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc meeting, sponsored by Clans United for Ethical Technology, today issued a resolution calling on clan and tribal leaders to block the spread of fire-making techniques to the general population.
"We must insure that making fire remains under the strict control of shamans and our clan leaders," said Clans United chief, Orm Marr-dhuk. "Tests have indicated that fire is dangerous if not handled properly. We fear that its widespread use could result in countless deaths by burning and the loss of many of the forests on which we all depend for shelter and food. Pending new developments, Clans United urges our leaders to decree that fire making will remain the exclusive privilege of the shaman and leadership classes. Perhaps someday, if the common people have developed the skills to use fire without risking life and limb, we can reconsider our recommendation."
When asked about the several flaming tar torches that provided light for the meeting at the Cauvet cave, Chief Orm replied that "We shamans have made the appropriate sacrifices to the goddess. She has given us the secrets of safe fire use. We cannot expect ordinary people to understand these things."
-- Slashdot: When Public Access TV Says "No"
I wonder if a Neanderthal wrote a similar article when he found our the Cro Magnons were coming?
sex is sex, blood and sports are fear. Novelty is the new one. And I like it.
It was reported that in a conversation between George Bush and James Watson, the topic of modifying genes to improve intelligence came up. President Bush wanted to know if the genes would come in a boot cut.
Michael.
Let's do a 25% split between funny, troll, offtopic, and informative, shall we?
Linux : Mac
Or maybe you'll die of a staph infection from the boils forming under your tremendously large rotund ass. They would have easily been prevented with some modern medicine and a little exercise, but oh well...too bad fatty...
I personally hope the world is turned to gray goo by nanotech before I ever see that in my inbox.
"The advanced societies of the future will be driven by competing systems of psychopathology." -JG Ballard
A high profile assemblage of well-known thinkers, such as Steven Pinker, Lee Silver, and Marvin Minsky, were invited to speak at the 3 day conference to examine what 'Human Nature' would be like in 50-200 years.
I want to be a well-known thinker too. I sit around thinking most of the day anyway. I want to be invited to conferences and get paid lots of money for speculating on random future issues that are so far away that I'll be dead before being proven right or wrong. So what do I have to do to enter the profession of Well-known Thinker? I'm applying to econ graduate school right now, but if there's an easier way to get into this, I'm all ears. Perhaps somebody can enlighten me.
Flying is easy, just throw yourself at the ground and miss. -Douglas Adams