Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

[jmood88]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

So tell me what their definitive goal is in this. Tell me where he says "this is to cure this".

From this quote:



it makes me believe that they don't really know what's going to come of this.

I really can't believe this. How does any of what they said make you think that they don't know what will happen? Why do they need to say one thing that it will cure?

[jmood88]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

But what are they advancing to? The guys admitted that they're basically doing this just to see if something grows and hey, maybe something good will come of it.

This whole concept is just a mad experiment. It's nothing like when man tried to find cures for rabies or small-pox.
It's people messing with nature just to say they did.
I'm all for advancing the human species. I pointed some ideas out in my original post in this thread.
This is nothing but man playing God.

How do you get that from what they said? They said that it can be used for a variety of things, simply because they didn't say one thing that it can cure doesn't mean anything. And just so you know, many things that people use today come from complete accidents from different experiments. Do you know anything about science?

[Money99]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

I just don't agree at all. Could it end up failing miserably? Yes. Could it end up doing more harm than good? Yeah, it could. But could it also do more good than harm? Yes, it's a possibility. I just don't see what's wrong with at least attempting this.

I understand what you're thinking. I do. But in my opinion there is far more to lose than gain from this.
At one time, man thought that nuclear energy only had an upside. But many people have discovered that it has a darkside.
Even the first hunting tools were probably thought of as a great idea. Rifles to kill for food was great. But like anything else, not everyone can be trusted.
And the smarter we get, the more dangerous we become.

I reread what was posted initially:

"Creating protocells has the potential to shed new light on our place in the universe," Bedau said. "This will remove one of the few fundamental mysteries about creation in the universe and our role."
And several scientists believe man-made life forms will one day offer the potential for solving a variety of problems, from fighting diseases to locking up greenhouse gases to eating toxic waste.

from this I gathered that this is merely a crazy science experiment to answer where life comes from and they HOPE that 'hey, maybe we can cure s**t while we're at it'.
Whether you're religious or not, I don't think a great majority of people walk around saying "how did life start". More pressing concerns that do present themselves in life do. Things like cancer, poverty, war.

If they knew, for a fact, that this could do great things like cure horrible diseases or poverty then I'd be for it. And hey , maybe it will. But if history has taught us anything, it's that man has used almost every great advance of our existance to hurt others. And if this experiment has even a .5% chance of that happening, it's not worth it.
I'd rather the smart people of this world use their brains to work on things where they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This sounds too much like Dr.Frankenstein to me.

[Blzer]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

While that is a fairly accurate statement, the ramifications of something like this falling into the wrong hands are much greater than most creations.

Yeah, I mean... look at The Matrix.

Speaking of which, do you think that is possible to create a virtual world that we can link together in neurally?

[Money99]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

I really can't believe this. How does any of what they said make you think that they don't know what will happen?

Bedau said there are legitimate worries about creating life that could "run amok,"

and

His idea is that once the container is made, if scientists add nucleotides in the right proportions, then Darwinian evolution could simply take over.

The whole idea of Darwinism is that we have no clue what will come of evolution. It's a mystery.

Why do they need to say one thing that it will cure?

Then what's the point? If it's not leading to the bederment of mankind, then why mess with something that could "create life that could 'run amok".

[jmood88]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

Then what's the point? If it's not leading to the bederment of mankind, then why mess with something that could "create life that could 'run amok".

They also said that there are ways of addressing that. They've said that there are many things that they could do with them so I don't see where you're getting the "their just doing it to see if something grows" stuff from. You keep talking about how people need to deal with knowns but how are you supposed to know something if you don't test for it?

[jmood88]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

If they knew, for a fact, that this could do great things like cure horrible diseases or poverty then I'd be for it. And hey , maybe it will. But if history has taught us anything, it's that man has used almost every great advance of our existance to hurt others. And if this experiment has even a .5% chance of that happening, it's not worth it.
I'd rather the smart people of this world use their brains to work on things where they can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This sounds too much like Dr.Frankenstein to me.

Please tell me anything that is like that. That is why science exists, to test things not just to go on blind faith.

[Money99]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

They also said that there are ways of stopping that from happening. They've said that there are many things that they could do with them so I don't see where you're getting the "their just doing it to see if something grows" stuff from.

I've heard that before. How do you think things like chemical warfare start? Or even the nuclear bomb? Someone comes up with an idea and it gets away from them.
I don't see any difference from this.

I don't know why you think I'm against science or the advancement of mankind. But in this situation, these guys are saying directly that they really don't know the end result of this. They're simply creating new life to see if they can do it. And they really hope that (a) nothing bad happens and (b) something good comes from it.
I don't see where the reward outweighs the risk.

[jmood88]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

I've heard that before. How do you think things like chemical warfare start? Or even the nuclear bomb? Someone comes up with an idea and it gets away from them.
I don't see any difference from this.

I don't know why you think I'm against science or the advancement of mankind. But in this situation, these guys are saying directly that they really don't know the end result of this. They're simply creating new life to see if they can do it. And they really hope that (a) nothing bad happens and (b) something good comes from it.
I don't see where the reward outweighs the risk.

How dare people come up with ideas. People will use anything that they can to do what they want and if everyone just stopped trying to advance science because they were scared that some big bad man was going to come and do something bad with it then we would still be using stone tools or probably no tools at all.

[Money99]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

Please tell me anything that is like that. That is why science exists, to test things not just to go on blind faith.

I disagree. Science is a lot about blind faith. Scientists still can't prove how bee's fly. They still have no clue how the brain works.
What they do is grab the facts they do know, and try to create something based on those facts.
If anything, some of the comments made against my arguments prove my point. Someone said "lots of cures have come by accident".

[jmood88]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

I disagree. Science is a lot about blind faith. Scientists still can't prove how bee's fly. They still have no clue how the brain works.
What they do is grab the facts they do know, and try to create something based on those facts.
If anything, some of the comments made against my arguments prove my point. Someone said "lots of cures have come by accident".

Not proving something has nothing to do with blind faith. In science you test things out and if what you thought would happen didn't happen then oh well and figure out what happened. That isn't blind faith.

[Money99]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

How dare people come up with ideas. People will use anything that they can to do what they want and if everyone just stopped trying to advance science because they were scared that some big bad man was going to come and do something bad with it then we would still be using stone tools or probably no tools at all.

You're missing what I'm saying. When someone says "I want to invent something that can help us clean our clothes faster" and then makes a washing machine, obviously that's not a bad thing. But when someone says "lets fool around with cells and create a living organism that may or may not run amok" I think it's not worth the risk.

Where in any of my posts did I say that science was bad or the betterment of man was bad? Where have I said "I decry Science!". I have not said this once. I've gone out of my way to say that I think we need science to help us cure AIDs, Cancer, MS, paralysis, etc.
But this particular experiment has no definitive purpose.

I don't know why my opinions would create such hatred in you. I'm simply providing a devils-advocate point of view. I understand yours but at least I'm not attacking you personally by saying things like "Do you know anything about science".

[Money99]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

Not proving something has nothing to do with blind faith. In science you test things out and if what you thought would happen didn't happen then oh well and figure out what happened. That isn't blind faith.

It's not? You don't think these scientists have blind faith in things like the periodic table? Or physics? The same science that we were all taught in school but still hasn't an idea of a bumblebee can fly.
I think there's a lot more blind faith involved in these kinds of things than you want to admit.
Just look at the one statement made in the article

then Darwinian evolution could simply take over.

That's not blind faith that something will come of this experiment?

[jmood88]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

You're missing what I'm saying. When someone says "I want to invent something that can help us clean our clothes faster" and then makes a washing machine, obviously that's not a bad thing. But when someone says "lets fool around with cells and create a living organism that may or may not run amok" I think it's not worth the risk.

Where in any of my posts did I say that science was bad or the betterment of man was bad? Where have I said "I decry Science!". I have not said this once. I've gone out of my way to say that I think we need science to help us cure AIDs, Cancer, MS, paralysis, etc.
But this particular experiment has no definitive purpose.

I don't know why my opinions would create such hatred in you. I'm simply providing a devils-advocate point of view. I understand yours but at least I'm not attacking you personally by saying things like "Do you know anything about science".

Lol I don't know how you can construe my comments as hatred but have fun. Your posts suggest that you don't know what science is. They stated what the purpose is and what they believe that what they are creating can do but if you want to ignore that then go ahead.

[Money99]

Re: Artificial Life Likely Within Ten Years

Lol I don't know how you can construe my comments as hatred but have fun. Your posts suggest that you don't know what science is. They stated what the purpose is and what they believe that what they are creating can do but if you want to ignore that then go ahead.

I'll do that while you continue to ignore what harm can come of this.