4 ms·
Classical ad hominem argument. Attack the people who make the immoral choice of thinking about the fact instead of blindly going forward and doing it, regardles
by wuschel 8y ago
Classical ad hominem argument. Attack the people who make the immoral choice of thinking about the fact instead of blindly going forward and doing it, regardless of the cost. Perhaps it is worth to consider carefully before eradicating a species by any means?
And perhaps it is worth to consider using a domain of technology - biotechnology - we have yet to understand better? Every tool comes with it's price, and so does CRISPR/Cas9. Gene drives can override and change the hereditary mechanism which makes genes propagate in populations. There are possible second order effects in place, which would be very important to rule out before applying such a method in the wild.
<irony>Unless... unless, of course, we are happy with the import of rabbits et al to Australia.</irony>
- petters 8y agoIf importing rabbits to Australia would have saved 500,000 lives annually, it would have been one of the best health-related things to happen to humanity. (The eradication of this particular mosquito species is likely harmless, but that does not matter. We should do it even if it isn't)
- wuschel 8y agoSorry, there are two separate questions here: A) the use of a technology - a gene drive - we have no full control of in the wild B) the act of eradication of a species to help to lower the loss of human life in Malaria affected regions. Your statement regarding the Australian ecosystem engineering is purely hypothetic. The import of alien lifeforms always had a detrimental effect on ecosystems, and often, as a second order effect, on humans as well. It scares me how a lot of people think that it is not worth thinking and evaluating the use of a technology. Perhaps it is because they have no experience and knowledge in this particular domain of science?
- stickfigure 8y agoOr perhaps they have thought and evaluated and made their judgement call.
- hopler 8y agoI don't think HN is full of experts on CRISPR and African ecology.
- Dylan16807 8y ago> We should do it even if it isn't That depends on the level of risk to other species, in case these genes leak across some barrier. Which might be fine, but you need to, uh, check.
- mcguire 8y agoHow many lives did industrialization save or improve? Compared to the costs? Was it worth it? Yes, but all the consequences have not yet come home to roost.
- SmellyGeekBoy 8y ago> Unless... unless, of course, we are happy with the import of rabbits et al to Australia. Odd that you lead with the dismissal of one logical fallacy and then in the short space of this comment fall into the trap of using another one yourself.
- wuschel 8y agoSorry, I should have made clear that it was an ironic statement. My bad.