Societal priorities

Re: Societal priorities

feeds@yuku.com (Tenebris) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 03:57:57 GMT

The nature of hypothesis is that they may be wrong, and that one can learn from their being wrong. Possibility tossed out does not not translate to fact.

I dare not say more, lest this turn into a "vs. Tenebris" thread: which would destroy the point of discussion.

(I can still hope there exists at least so much general curiosity and willingness of spirit, even among those who choose to spend the majority of their free time in other entertainments.)

Re: Societal priorities

feeds@yuku.com (Rhui Chatar) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:49:33 GMT

The Questions:
"Does the research have a real potential for medium-term benefit to humankind generally, beyond that of simple increase of knowledge? If not, can the research be conducted without any risk of harm (including increasing polarisation/ alienation) to humankind?"

Is the purpose of this type of research to benefit humankind generally? I don't think so. Not at first, at any rate. Benefit to humankind, medium-term or other...

Re: Societal priorities

feeds@yuku.com (Tenebris) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 01:39:26 GMT

(No one else? Only Ecthelion steps into the breach? even though ten visitors a day have the time to check out the thread? Are we no longer capable of discussing, only of debating? Do we even still recognise that there is a difference?)

Says me, based on the difference between ideal and actuality.

Says me, who dares not assume that goals are ideal, objective, or indeed even shared among those most active in promoting a field; or that all individual motivations...

Re: Societal priorities

feeds@yuku.com (MH Ecthelion) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:43:56 GMT

"Not only do we no longer care about societal benefit but increasingly, we don't care about societal cost either."

Says who?

Theoretical physics is pursued by conservatives because they are looking for God. It is pursued by liberals because they wish to become like God, and it is pursued by both because we wish to explore the stars and settle on other worlds.

Molecular biology is pursued because we wish to die when choose to, not when biology...

Re: Societal priorities

feeds@yuku.com (Tenebris) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:38:04 GMT

Many people checking this out. Not one posting.

Am I to take this as utter agreement with the proposition (or utter non-caring about the proposition), or as a non-wish to debate in a genuinely open forum (rather than preaching to the choir), or as a general non-wish to debate (but a curiosity about others debating), or as reluctance to be 'first'?

No matter which, it does rather reflect a general reluctance to become involved where differences of opinion are...

Societal priorities

feeds@yuku.com (Tenebris) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:16:14 GMT

The average high energy physicist will receive a much greater benefit from the LHC [Large Hadron Accelerator] than will the average human. Consequently, the self-interests of high energy physicists don't align with that of the rest of humanity in deciding whether to turn on the LHC, so we should be very suspicious of their claims that the LHC is safe.
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