I would, and it's based on a pretty simple philosophical/moral/spiritual belief: Anything that increases and improves our knowledge of the universe - including

I would, and it's based on a pretty simple philosophical/moral/spiritual belief: Anything that increases and improves our knowledge of the universe - including knowledge of how to best use existing tools, and which tools to use for which jobs - is a good thing in and of itself (barring exceptions related to negative externalities which don't apply here). I don't know if that's the author's rationale, but it's the one I would use.