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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 fir
by 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 agoI 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 agoI 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