If I had a choice between A) death or B) a chance at continuing to live, I'd choose B. And if B doesn't work out, A can still be chosen. So choosing B is not much of a risk.
You should probably freeze some eggs/sperm before you start messing up your genome. If you end up with some weird illness, at least your children won't get it.
Yes, people are extremely shortsighted. Imagine the world 50, 100, and 200 years ago. the microprocessor didn't exist 50 years ago. Most households still had black&white tv's.
"If we could get more people working on real problems..."
That's a political economic, and social problem. I wonder if a basic income couldn't help here. Of course "free" education also, if it could keep high standards of quality.
Basic income will only create more basic couch potatoes.
We are not strengthened by having things handed to us, but by challenges.
Of course, there is nothing stopping proponents of basic income from proving me wrong with their own private experiment. I'm sure it would get a lot of volunteers, at least for one half of the equation.
> We are not strengthened by having things handed to us, but by challenges.
Who is "we"? People in wealthy families? This analysis seems to ignore a large part of the population, even within first-world countries.
Poor people have more than enough "challenges". Well, those aren't really "challenges", these are burdens that keep them down and unhealthy. Those people will not be strengthened by more of those "challenges". But they would be strengthened if they received a stable income (through whatever measure, basic income is just one possibiliy).
Having to count every cent, worring about the next day rather than the next year ... this all is a huge sink of brain power, and a motivation killer as well. Increasing those people's lives to "couch potatoes" would be a huge step forward, because only then they will have the time and energy to become bored, and then to engage in creative activities, volunteering, problem solving, etc.
If you give them just callenges without freeing them from their huge daily burdens, nothing will happen.
Having to work for everything you have is not a burden. It is perfectly natural for nearly all of humanity throughout the ages.
I personally grew up poor and while it would have been nice to not have struggled for things many people take for granted, I probably feel a greater sense of accomplishment than many.
I did count every cent. I worked two jobs before I finally went back to school. My motivation wasn't killed. But I doubt that would have been the case if that effort wasn't going to improve my situation in the slightest.
Of course, I also didn't believe I was entitled to what other people produce, simply for being alive.
I think we have too many people working on the wrong problem.
Personally, while I like the silicon chip, there were more jobs 50 years ago. I was still a gleam in my father's eye, but in the 70's, their were a lot of jobs. Not working was a choice. Bad jobs were a choice. I'm not completely blaming the microprocessor.
As to B & W t.v., I've always liked it. Don't know why, but just like it. Would watching The Twilight Zone be better in color? I'm partially color blind.
