"A look at population numbers would say yes. But then quality of life indicators - and not just material quality, but indicators that take into account mental illness, loneliness, depression and so on give a very mixed reading."
By most metrics, hunter-gatherers are the happiest. So I blame farmers for all the troubles of the world. -- Charles On Wed, Feb 5, 2014 at 1:33 AM, Srini RamaKrishnan <che...@gmail.com> wrote: > I must clarify that the intent here is not to criticize. > > CEOs and politicians are intelligent people making difficult choices - > they are speaking the minds of the people they represent. I think in > the long run the morality of corporations or nations or any collective > tends to represent the average morality of the people who make it up. > > Any examination of such matters needs to look at the larger morality, > and understand why our leaders time and again get sucked into narrow > views of self interest. > > On Tue, Feb 4, 2014 at 8:54 PM, Srini RamaKrishnan <che...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > "Bayer CEO: We made medicine for people who can afford it, not Indians" > > > > I don't think vilification serves any purpose. > > > > On the one hand, Bayer makes life saving drugs, very good; but on the > > other hand it intends to only sell it only to the rich; not so good. > > > > Historically speaking this has been something of a pattern, not just > > with Bayer but most corporations. > > > > Bayer as IG Farben made the gas Zyklon-B used in the gas chambers of > > Auschwitz. Then the world learned its lesson and Bayer instead used > > the same skills to make sprays that kill bugs. Crop protection in > > other words. > > > > So has Bayer saved more people than it has killed? Is Bayer any > > different from the world of profit and self interest it lives in? > > > > Does all the technology we have today save more lives than it kills? > > Interesting point of contemplation. > > > > A look at population numbers would say yes. But then quality of life > > indicators - and not just material quality, but indicators that take > > into account mental illness, loneliness, depression and so on give a > > very mixed reading. > > > > We are certainly successful at keeping human beings alive; but we are > > not yet successful at making them happy in my opinion. > > > > http://keionline.org/node/1910 > > > http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1vyyww/we_did_not_develop_this_medicine_for_indianswe/ > > > http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-01-21/merck-to-bristol-myers-face-more-threats-on-india-drug-patents > >
