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CTDKZOO t1_j29kkx8 wrote

Reply to comment by 2old4acoolname in Accepting Science Fiction by Exiled_to_Earth

I read a few of their fantasy books. I'm going to have to find this as it explores a concept I am fascinated by. Knowing when to say when.

To the point of /u/Exiled_to_Earth 's question about the line - there is no line. Individually we may have them but there's always someone willing to go the next step. So it's hard to know when to stop even if there's a hard case to decide "Is this helping, or just doing something because we can?"

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2old4acoolname t1_j2a5rxf wrote

Got to thinking about your “there is no line” comment. I don’t have a direct response to that, other than opinion. And that is that there is no line AS LONG AS there is an equal amount of responsibility, education, and understanding developed with the new technology. A good example of what I mean to avoid by my statement is America having Nuclear weapons. Our country is just 300 years old. We have no stable culture (other than extremism) and no depth of wisdom as a nation. And yet we have nuclear weapons. It’s like giving a toddler a loaded gun. Now, you’ll ask me how to make my desires happen. And that’s when the crickets start to chirp. Cause I got no idea, lol

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CTDKZOO t1_j2a8rkk wrote

It's something I've struggled with all my life. There is no line. Holding yourself back on a technology doesn't mean others will. Doing it because others will does not mean the technology is good.

Your nuclear weapons example is great.

Not developing them feels like a mistake in hindsight.. but developing and using them does not mean it is/was great. But how do we let go now that others have them?

We've trapped ourselves in a tech, but had we not done it what would have happened?

Back when everyone was freaking out about a cloned sheep I started to think this way regarding human cloning. If we don't, someone else will. If they do and we don't, what happens next?

It gets messy

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25hourenergy t1_j2cfvzr wrote

Well, like the protagonist’s parents in GATTACA. They chose to have a baby without selecting for the baby’s best-possible traits. Compared to all the other optimized babies, this baby was an “in-valid” and high risk for heart issues, personality issues, etc etc. and had to work as a janitor until he stole someone else’s identity.

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mypeez t1_j2d6a90 wrote

Did they choose to? I thought they couldn't afford to do as much for their second child as their first.

Great movie BTW.

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25hourenergy t1_j2dvqgl wrote

Yes, and other way around—protagonist was the in-valid, and it was so horrifying for his parents they decided to optimize the younger son (who ended up being stronger and bigger than his brother from a young age).

It is implied though that yeah, if you can’t afford it you get left behind by the superior “valids”. There’s currently a movement among the ultra-rich Silicon Valley for this.

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mypeez t1_j2dzweo wrote

It has been a while since I've watched it, probably 25 years now that I think about it.

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