I think this is about superstition around genetics, lack of local populations understanding / trusting the likely outcomes, and most of all, unethical status quo bias. I hate the Copenhagen interpretation of ethics https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/copenhagen-interpretation-of-ethics, I hate status quo bias, and this whole issue makes me so mad. I’ve been mad about it for years. If I didn’t think that AGI was about to come along and turn the whole world on its head, I’d go launch the gene drives myself and damn the consequences. To me it seems like this is institutional cowardice and responsibility-dodging causing these deaths. I very rarely in my life every raise my voice in anger about anything, but this type of scientific cowardice is one of the few subjects I can’t talk about without unintentionally raising my voice. This is not the only example, it is only one of the most glaring of MANY. The problem occurs over and over again when reasonable hypotheses get IRB’ed to death and people are left to die as a result. My anger about this is a big part of why I left academia.
I think this is about superstition around genetics, lack of local populations understanding / trusting the likely outcomes, and most of all, unethical status quo bias. I hate the Copenhagen interpretation of ethics https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/copenhagen-interpretation-of-ethics, I hate status quo bias, and this whole issue makes me so mad. I’ve been mad about it for years. If I didn’t think that AGI was about to come along and turn the whole world on its head, I’d go launch the gene drives myself and damn the consequences. To me it seems like this is institutional cowardice and responsibility-dodging causing these deaths. I very rarely in my life every raise my voice in anger about anything, but this type of scientific cowardice is one of the few subjects I can’t talk about without unintentionally raising my voice. This is not the only example, it is only one of the most glaring of MANY. The problem occurs over and over again when reasonable hypotheses get IRB’ed to death and people are left to die as a result. My anger about this is a big part of why I left academia.
What are the others?