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I love humans, we discover a new interesting thing, think we're big boys who understand everything there is to understand and that we can shape things to our wi

I love humans, we discover a new interesting thing, think we're big boys who understand everything there is to understand and that we can shape things to our will with no adverse consequences That's how we got asbestos in walls, lead in gas/paint, freon, pfas, &c. The same story over and over and over again. But sure go ahead and start slicing our dna, what could possibly go wrong?

im3w1l 2y ago
Of course there are risks. The question is how big the risk is, and how well we can mitigate it.
pyronik19 2y ago
And antibiotics, computers, fertilizer, electricity, cars, stem cells, etc Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying throw caution to the wind, but ludditism also isn't the answer.
- lm28469 2y ago
  > And antibiotics, computers, fertilizer, electricity, cars, stem cells, etc What did it bring ? At what cost ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction
  - Nasrudith 2y ago
    The Holocene extinction was started when pointed sticks were state of the art and we ate most megafauna to extinction. It would be more the Anthropocene to blame if anything. Blaming high technology is thus rather anachronistic. Personally I'm of the opinion that the world was already on fire as it were, what with the mass extinctions caused when we became an invasive species out of Africa. If we were still stuck in the stone age like our predecessors we would still be an ongoing mass-extinction. There is some hope to eventually not be an ongoing mass extinction but that would require some combination of even better technology and the right priorities.
Turing_Machine 2y ago
That's also how we got fire, stone tools, agriculture, microprocessors, vitamins, hospitals that were more than just places to go die... and the very computer network you're using to post. Did you have a point?

im3w1l 2y ago

Of course there are risks. The question is how big the risk is, and how well we can mitigate it.

pyronik19 2y ago

And antibiotics, computers, fertilizer, electricity, cars, stem cells, etc Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying throw caution to the wind, but ludditism also isn't the answer.

lm28469 2y ago
> And antibiotics, computers, fertilizer, electricity, cars, stem cells, etc What did it bring ? At what cost ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holocene_extinction
- Nasrudith 2y ago
  The Holocene extinction was started when pointed sticks were state of the art and we ate most megafauna to extinction. It would be more the Anthropocene to blame if anything. Blaming high technology is thus rather anachronistic. Personally I'm of the opinion that the world was already on fire as it were, what with the mass extinctions caused when we became an invasive species out of Africa. If we were still stuck in the stone age like our predecessors we would still be an ongoing mass-extinction. There is some hope to eventually not be an ongoing mass extinction but that would require some combination of even better technology and the right priorities.

Turing_Machine 2y ago

That's also how we got fire, stone tools, agriculture, microprocessors, vitamins, hospitals that were more than just places to go die... and the very computer network you're using to post. Did you have a point?