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Is common sense that if you drive a machine harder than its specifications then it will break a lot sooner. Why don't you drive your car at its maximum revoluti
by fmora 16y ago
Is common sense that if you drive a machine harder than its specifications then it will break a lot sooner. Why don't you drive your car at its maximum revolutions per second often enough and notice how fast it breaks down. Even too much caffeine is bad for you. Although comparatively speaking is a much reduced risk. Also, many of these drugs take years for the effects to show up. Just because you are able to use it for months or years does not mean that it is not damaging to you.
- gwern 16y ago> Is common sense that if you drive a machine harder than its specifications then it will break a lot sooner. It is also common sense that if you do something, and you do it a lot over a long time with a lot of people, and you don't see anything bad happening, nothing bad is probably going to happen! Which is better, a universal weak probabilistic statement made in ignorance of specifics, or a narrow statement about one thing based on specific evidence? > Also, many of these drugs take years for the effects to show up. Again, provide numbers. I will grant that 'some' - as in, a non-zero number - drugs have long-term side-effects. However, I dispute 'many', or 'most'. There are many thousands of drugs which the FDA has approved, most of which do not turn up with horrible thalidomide-like long-term side-effects.