Or, what if multiplying cures was the fatal disease...??? Wouldn't that be a killer!
Phil Henshaw > -----Original Message----- > From: friam-boun...@redfish.com [mailto:friam-boun...@redfish.com] On > Behalf Of James Steiner > Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 11:53 AM > To: russ.abb...@gmail.com; The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee > Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] What to do with knowledge > > I recall an amusing short-short story on that theme. It goes something > like this: > > A scientist or government official or something tells his wife that a > terrible discovery that had been made--a discovery of some unique and > unlikely combination of readily available ingredients that could be > used to destroy the world. In response to her questions, he assures > her that the world is safe: Only a handful of people--those he > directly works with, his co-workers and friends at the lab, who come > over once a week with their spouses to play cards in their > basement--even know that such a thing is possible, never mind fully > knowing the actual ingredients, proportions and processes. Further, > all research records leading to the discovery have been destroyed, and > he and his colleagues are determined that the knowledge never be > exposed.No, he assures her, the world is safe. > > At the next weekly card game hosted at their house, being convinced > that this knowledge is far too dangerous to exist, she poisons the lot > of them, thus protecting the world from harm. > > ~~James > > On Fri, Jan 2, 2009 at 1:35 AM, Russ Abbott <russ.abb...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > The issue of what to do with knowledge is certainly not an easy one > to > > resolve. > > > > Let's assume that you discovered that human beings were built in such > a way > > that a certain kind of virus would wipe most of us out. Let's also > assume > > that you were the only one who knew that. What would you do? > > > > Would you attempt to destroy that knowledge knowing how potentially > deadly > > it is? If you did that, how would feel if a nihilistically inclined > > sociopath discovered the same thing a year later and set off the > deadly > > viral chain reaction? Perhaps if you had informed someone and > started to > > work on a defense, we would not have been so vulnerable to what > turned out > > to be a surprise attack. > > > > On the other hand, if you had informed people, perhaps the word would > have > > gotten out and triggered a biological arms race. > > > > I'm not claiming there are easy answers to these questions. But I > do think > > it's important not to deny the nature of the universe. The premise > of my > > thought experiment was that we were built with a certain kind of > > vulnerability. Not knowing about it is not necessarily the best way > to > > proceed. But knowing about it may be dangerous as well. Sometimes > there are > > no good options. But it is not an option simply to wish that the > world were > > different. (Of course it is an option, but it doesn't make the world > > different.) > > > > The same probably holds for nuclear weapons. Whether or not "science" > > discovered that matter could be converted into energy in what could > be very > > destructive ways, the fact is that matter can be converted into > energy in > > very destructive ways. It does no good to wish that this weren't the > case > > or that no one would every find out about it. That's an act of denial > about > > how the world is. And denial is not a good way to live. > > > > -- Russ > > > > > > On Thu, Jan 1, 2009 at 6:06 PM, Ann Racuya-Robbins <ad...@wkbank.com> > wrote: > >> > >> -- > >> Ann Racuya-Robbins > >> Founder and CEO World Knowledge Bank www.wkbank.com > >> > >> "The theory of general relativity is a theory about the structure of > >> nature. It is not noble. It is not evil. It is a theory." Russ > Abbott > >> > >> We cannot separate everything into clear categories and thus avoid > the > >> tragic consequences....Theories come about because people create > >> them...their(people's) agency cannot be removed nor in the theories' > >> consequnces. > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
