One major second-order effect of doing something this dramatic is that you’d expect controls on gene editing technologies to be raised a lot/made at all, and an argument could be made that that would be a good thing.
There’s a tendency to think: If we believe that something should be illegal, we shouldn’t do it ourselves. In competitive arenas, this ends up disadvantaging the most responsible thinkers by denying them the fruits of defection without denying it to their competitors, or suppressing the acknowledgement of the regulatory holes as participants are afraid to look hypocritical if they acknowledge the need for regulation while thriving without it. It’s actually not hypocritical to exploit a hole while working to close it. Sometimes, spectacularly exploiting the hole is the only practical way to get it closed.
Other projects I’d like to see: An engineered pathogen that just harmlessly melanizes the toes of everyone in the world so that they’re reminded of their protectors’ incompetence every time they look down.
One major second-order effect of doing something this dramatic is that you’d expect controls on gene editing technologies to be raised a lot/made at all, and an argument could be made that that would be a good thing.
There’s a tendency to think: If we believe that something should be illegal, we shouldn’t do it ourselves. In competitive arenas, this ends up disadvantaging the most responsible thinkers by denying them the fruits of defection without denying it to their competitors, or suppressing the acknowledgement of the regulatory holes as participants are afraid to look hypocritical if they acknowledge the need for regulation while thriving without it. It’s actually not hypocritical to exploit a hole while working to close it. Sometimes, spectacularly exploiting the hole is the only practical way to get it closed.
Other projects I’d like to see: An engineered pathogen that just harmlessly melanizes the toes of everyone in the world so that they’re reminded of their protectors’ incompetence every time they look down.