2 ms·

True, but either way, we would have eliminated one case of color blindness! Satirical answer obviously. But the “right” risk level for human experimentation is

True, but either way, we would have eliminated one case of color blindness! Satirical answer obviously. But the “right” risk level for human experimentation is such a strange problem. I expect that just as humans generally fear air travel mishaps far more than far more dangerous activities, we have an aversion to (informed consent) human experiments that is probably too conservative. Except when we take into account the real and damaging second order effects of outsized fear.

inglor_cz 3y ago
The case of Jesse Gelsinger comes to mind. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Gelsinger https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Gelsinger The victim was a young kid which had 50+ years of life before him, and he was able to manage his condition fairly well prior to the experiment. Add some shady details in the informed consent process, and the reaction of the public to his death was so overwhelmingly negative that gene therapy took a massive hit.