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CTDKZOO t1_j2a8rkk wrote

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

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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