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Synthetic biology aims at producing novel biological systems to carry out some desired and well-defined functions. An ultimate dream is to design these systems

by jpatte 16y ago

Synthetic biology aims at producing novel biological systems to carry out some desired and well-defined functions. An ultimate dream is to design these systems at a high level of abstraction using engineering-based tools and programming languages, press a button, and have the design translated to DNA sequences that can be synthesised and put to work in living cells. Why do I have a bad feeling about this? I can't help to wonder: "Will the world necessarily be a better place when this will be possible?"

pigbucket 16y ago
I don't see this as Pandora's box, in part because we've already got that; I think you have a bad feeling about this because you're insufficiently worried about things that are actually really scary: cancer, heart disease, HIV, malaria, and so on.
- jpatte 16y ago
  I'm actually more worried by the fate of the planet while we let the world population explode and keep suppressing possible causes of human death. We should first get concerned about how these trillions of people will live in a dying world. I sincerely hope these technologies will be used in the purpose of preventing the planet's doom, although I'm pretty sure they will only serve for more human selfishness, as you seem to suggest it.
  - Groxx 16y ago
    I don't know that the super-population-explosion that people keep fearing will really happen. For that to happen, a LOT more food will have to be created, which implies a more prosperous world as a whole. But more highly developed nations tend to have negative growth rates. Reducto ad absurdem (maybe), but this implies that the solution to overpopulation is to bring the whole world's standard of living up. At which point we slowly allow ourselves to die off.
  - pigbucket 16y ago
    I agree that accelerating technological progress poses risks (and posted a related comment about AI http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1407120 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1407120 ) but don't want to ask people to forgo treatment for the sake of population control which can be otherwise managed. To make it (cheaply) personal, and to prove that you're right about my selfishness, I want my wife's cancer cured while the planet is being saved, not afterwards. Edit: The cancer is in remission, but curing it is something else

by jpatte 16y ago

pigbucket 16y ago

I don't see this as Pandora's box, in part because we've already got that; I think you have a bad feeling about this because you're insufficiently worried about things that are actually really scary: cancer, heart disease, HIV, malaria, and so on.

jpatte 16y ago
I'm actually more worried by the fate of the planet while we let the world population explode and keep suppressing possible causes of human death. We should first get concerned about how these trillions of people will live in a dying world. I sincerely hope these technologies will be used in the purpose of preventing the planet's doom, although I'm pretty sure they will only serve for more human selfishness, as you seem to suggest it.
- Groxx 16y ago
  I don't know that the super-population-explosion that people keep fearing will really happen. For that to happen, a LOT more food will have to be created, which implies a more prosperous world as a whole. But more highly developed nations tend to have negative growth rates. Reducto ad absurdem (maybe), but this implies that the solution to overpopulation is to bring the whole world's standard of living up. At which point we slowly allow ourselves to die off.
- pigbucket 16y ago
  I agree that accelerating technological progress poses risks (and posted a related comment about AI http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1407120 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1407120 ) but don't want to ask people to forgo treatment for the sake of population control which can be otherwise managed. To make it (cheaply) personal, and to prove that you're right about my selfishness, I want my wife's cancer cured while the planet is being saved, not afterwards. Edit: The cancer is in remission, but curing it is something else