I agree with this critique; I think washing machines belong on the “light bulbs and computers” side of the analogy. The analogy has the form:
”germline engineering for common diseases and important traits” : “gene therapy for a rare disease” :: “widespread, transformation uses of electricity” : x
So x should be some very expensive, niche use of electricity that provides a very large benefit to its tiny user base (and doesn’t arguably indirectly lead to large future benefits, e.g. via scientific discovery for a niche scientific instrument).
I agree with this critique; I think washing machines belong on the “light bulbs and computers” side of the analogy. The analogy has the form:
”germline engineering for common diseases and important traits” : “gene therapy for a rare disease” :: “widespread, transformation uses of electricity” : x
So x should be some very expensive, niche use of electricity that provides a very large benefit to its tiny user base (and doesn’t arguably indirectly lead to large future benefits, e.g. via scientific discovery for a niche scientific instrument).