What the Luddites don't understand is that by attempting to restrict amateur (and increasingly, official) research, they hasten the arrival of the very same syn

What the Luddites don't understand is that by attempting to restrict amateur (and increasingly, official) research, they hasten the arrival of the very same synthetic plague to-kill-us-all by further alienating smart, resourceful people. I must say that my feelings on bioengineered plagues are somewhat mixed. One one hand, I'd rather not be killed, esp. in a grotesque and uncommonly painful way. On the other hand, I think perhaps there ought to be a death penalty for civilizations which alienate and oppress their intelligent, creative and free-spirited minority.