Philosophy
Whenever new technologies arise, such as the ability to genetically engineer biological organisms, one of the classic luddite objections is that such novelty represents human hubris as we attempt to "play God" and do something "unnatural." I've never quite understood such objections, since we run the risk of "creating life" whenever we have a few too many at the local pub and we happen to find an equally hammered partner with whom to engage in all kinds of unnatural acts. True story :)
Still, there is something to be said for the risk of unintended consequences, especially as 21st century advances in science and technology, not to mention their democratization and cheap and easy access, have the potential to produce dangers against which evolution has never had to fight. Some of these innovations are probably inevitable, so while we might not always be able to stop them, we might want to become acquainted with them so we can then start to think about how to manage and regulate them. And to introduce some of these advances, here is Adam Rutherford as he explores some of the truly state-of-the-art advances that synthetic biology is producing, starting with the spider-goat:
Unless by "playing God" people mean that he's the only one allowed to wipe most of life out of the face of the Earth...
There was an interesting interview in The Atlantic recently with philosopher Nick Bostrom on the question of whether we are underestimating the risk of human extinction. He thinks we are, and bases his calculations on what looks to me like an analogy of the Drake equation, so I'm not fully convinced (since the values we assign to such probabilities seem somewhat arbitrary), but the arguments are interesting nevertheless.
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I'm leading a faculty development seminar designed to encourage the creation of Science, Technology, and society classes, courses that look at the ways in which science and/or technology affect and are affected by culture. At our first meeting yesterday,...
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Contamination of other worlds is not limited to microbes...think of mankind himself. "NASA Needs New Plan to Avoid Contaminating Other Worlds" by Ars Technica April 19th, 2012 Wired Over the past several decades, there’s been a stunning revolution...
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"Is the end of the world really nigh?" Science is moving ever closer to understanding how, and when, humanity may be extinguished by Alok Jha November 19th, 2011 The Observer Judging by the run of successful natural disaster films in the past few years,...
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Heather Douglas wrote... "I am a philosopher of science who focuses on the proper understanding of science given its important role in public policy. I have particular interests in the role of values in scientific reasoning, the epistemic constraints...
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Learn a new field of science or simply refresh. This was brought to my attention by POSP stringer Tim. Physics for the 21st Century was designed for adult learners, including high school teachers, undergraduates, and the interested public—college...
Philosophy
Synthetic Biology - Playing God?
Still, there is something to be said for the risk of unintended consequences, especially as 21st century advances in science and technology, not to mention their democratization and cheap and easy access, have the potential to produce dangers against which evolution has never had to fight. Some of these innovations are probably inevitable, so while we might not always be able to stop them, we might want to become acquainted with them so we can then start to think about how to manage and regulate them. And to introduce some of these advances, here is Adam Rutherford as he explores some of the truly state-of-the-art advances that synthetic biology is producing, starting with the spider-goat:
Unless by "playing God" people mean that he's the only one allowed to wipe most of life out of the face of the Earth...
There was an interesting interview in The Atlantic recently with philosopher Nick Bostrom on the question of whether we are underestimating the risk of human extinction. He thinks we are, and bases his calculations on what looks to me like an analogy of the Drake equation, so I'm not fully convinced (since the values we assign to such probabilities seem somewhat arbitrary), but the arguments are interesting nevertheless.
- Social Science And Technology
I'm leading a faculty development seminar designed to encourage the creation of Science, Technology, and society classes, courses that look at the ways in which science and/or technology affect and are affected by culture. At our first meeting yesterday,...
- Contamination Beyond Microscopic
Contamination of other worlds is not limited to microbes...think of mankind himself. "NASA Needs New Plan to Avoid Contaminating Other Worlds" by Ars Technica April 19th, 2012 Wired Over the past several decades, there’s been a stunning revolution...
- Humanity...the Demise
"Is the end of the world really nigh?" Science is moving ever closer to understanding how, and when, humanity may be extinguished by Alok Jha November 19th, 2011 The Observer Judging by the run of successful natural disaster films in the past few years,...
- Shadows Of Science And Responsibility
Heather Douglas wrote... "I am a philosopher of science who focuses on the proper understanding of science given its important role in public policy. I have particular interests in the role of values in scientific reasoning, the epistemic constraints...
- Physics Course...online
Learn a new field of science or simply refresh. This was brought to my attention by POSP stringer Tim. Physics for the 21st Century was designed for adult learners, including high school teachers, undergraduates, and the interested public—college...