Would you be willing to endorse this proposal? If not, why not?
This particular proposal? No.
But mainly because we already have the tech to effectively cure malaria; it’s called “DDT” and the only reason we aren’t using it now is a lack of political will to challenge the environmental movement. If we lived in the Donaldverse where this proposal could be taken seriously, it wouldn’t be hard to get a widespread mosquito eradication movement started; after all, sentimental concerns are the main reason we’re handicapping ourselves here in the first place.
In general though, I think human experimentation does have merits. So much of what we know about our biology, especially the biology of the brain, comes from examining the victims of rare mutations diseases or accidents which impaired the functioning of a specific chemical pathway or tissue. If we could do organized knockout studies there is a good chance that we could gain a lot of knowledge which otherwise might take decades to uncover. But like a lot of other interesting ideas, the Nazis kind of messed this one up for the rest of us; there’s really no chance of this sort of thing being allowed in the current political climate, so speculating about it is idle almost by definition.
DDT resistance in mosquitoes is rampant due to overuse
Current WHO regulations specify not using it where resistance is observed. Hardly the sort of regulation we have against DDT in the US (where malaria is not really a problem)
But like a lot of other interesting ideas, the Nazis kind of messed this one up for the rest of us
That is backwards. It is not because the Nazis did it that experimenting on non-consenting human subjects is considered repugnant. It is because it is repugnant, that the Nazis are condemned for doing it.
there’s really no chance of this sort of thing being allowed in the current political climate
Is that an expression of regret for lost possibilities? There is no chance of this sort of thing being allowed in any non-evil political climate.
There is no chance of this sort of thing being allowed in any non-evil political climate.
While that may be true, the catch may lie in finding “non-evil” political climate.
Here’s what has been happening in reality in the XXI century: …after 9/11, health professionals working with the military and intelligence services “designed and participated in cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and torture of detainees”. Medical professionals were in effect told that their ethical mantra “first do no harm” did not apply, because they were not treating people who were ill. (Link)
It’s more a matter of what evil means. If it is allowed, that’s worth a good many points in the evil column of the report card.
It certainly has happened in climates, than which we know of more evil ones, but that case was enabled by the general lack of human regard for the class of people experimented on.
Yes, agreed. I’m not sure I know what “evil” means, but I’m fairly sympathetic to the view that, as the saying goes, good folk can allow evil to thrive by doing nothing.
This particular proposal? No.
But mainly because we already have the tech to effectively cure malaria; it’s called “DDT” and the only reason we aren’t using it now is a lack of political will to challenge the environmental movement. If we lived in the Donaldverse where this proposal could be taken seriously, it wouldn’t be hard to get a widespread mosquito eradication movement started; after all, sentimental concerns are the main reason we’re handicapping ourselves here in the first place.
In general though, I think human experimentation does have merits. So much of what we know about our biology, especially the biology of the brain, comes from examining the victims of rare mutations diseases or accidents which impaired the functioning of a specific chemical pathway or tissue. If we could do organized knockout studies there is a good chance that we could gain a lot of knowledge which otherwise might take decades to uncover. But like a lot of other interesting ideas, the Nazis kind of messed this one up for the rest of us; there’s really no chance of this sort of thing being allowed in the current political climate, so speculating about it is idle almost by definition.
DDT is widely used in the third world right now
DDT resistance in mosquitoes is rampant due to overuse
Current WHO regulations specify not using it where resistance is observed. Hardly the sort of regulation we have against DDT in the US (where malaria is not really a problem)
That is backwards. It is not because the Nazis did it that experimenting on non-consenting human subjects is considered repugnant. It is because it is repugnant, that the Nazis are condemned for doing it.
Is that an expression of regret for lost possibilities? There is no chance of this sort of thing being allowed in any non-evil political climate.
While that may be true, the catch may lie in finding “non-evil” political climate.
Here’s what has been happening in reality in the XXI century: …after 9/11, health professionals working with the military and intelligence services “designed and participated in cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment and torture of detainees”. Medical professionals were in effect told that their ethical mantra “first do no harm” did not apply, because they were not treating people who were ill. (Link)
Would it were that this were so.
It’s more a matter of what evil means. If it is allowed, that’s worth a good many points in the evil column of the report card.
It certainly has happened in climates, than which we know of more evil ones, but that case was enabled by the general lack of human regard for the class of people experimented on.
Yes, agreed. I’m not sure I know what “evil” means, but I’m fairly sympathetic to the view that, as the saying goes, good folk can allow evil to thrive by doing nothing.