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Devil's advocate: How do you suggest companies with large R&D budgets doing work that can potentially benefit humanity recoupe its costs. The question applies t
by latch 14y ago
Devil's advocate: How do you suggest companies with large R&D budgets doing work that can potentially benefit humanity recoupe its costs. The question applies to GMOs where the product can often reproduce as well as medical companies where generics are involved.
- rwallace 14y agoHow do you suggest we finance lighthouses without arresting people and putting them in prison for the crime of walking down a road that happens to be in line of sight of a lighthouse while not wearing a company-approved blindfold? As a libertarian I think we should seek a smaller role for government in people's lives. But I also think if something is in fact a function of government, we would be better off to admit it and formally finance it as such, than bring it in the back door by dishonest means.
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- danielharan 14y agoInteresting hypothetical question. Are you suggesting Monsanto is benefiting humanity?
- latch 14y agoNo I'm not. All I know about them is what gets press coverage, which is pretty bleak. No doubt in a meta sense there's been some benefits in the concentrated pooling of resources even with strong IP litigation. Still, what I suggest isn't unfathomable. The company doesn't even have to be altruistic...even if their sole goal is profit, I think there should be some affordances to protect them.
- danielharan 14y agoGiven their crimes, I'd actually want to revoke their charter. We allow people to get limited liability for joint enterprises. This is a privilege. Either we put real people in jail, or we start revoking charters. Protecting unaccountable institutions because their greed might result in good things is a complete abdication of governance and simple common sense.
- mkmkmmmmm 14y agoFuck them. If we gave out government grants for the research it would be cheaper for the public and more effective. Monsanto and big pharma are a net loss for society, so I find it hard to shed a tear over generic medication.
- twoodfin 14y agoIf you think the government is efficient at contracting out for advanced technology products, I invite you to investigate the military procurement system.
- rtpg 14y agothat is heavily influenced by politicians looking to bring jobs to their districts/states.
- jessaustin 14y agoThe creation of better soybean strains could be financed by prizes and contests rather than by military procurement. For example, see the Longitude Prize, the Anxari X Prize, or the crypto primitive contests that NIST regularly runs. The fact that giant corporations are involved with progress in our society is not proof that progress would cease without the involvement of giant corporations.
- rayiner 14y agoYou can't do serious science, capital-intensive Big Science, with prizes and contests.
- bocajuniors 14y agoIf something is beneficial for humanity but hard(or impossible) to build a good business model with it should be developed by government.