Until writing that sentence, I thought that was the EA/rationalist stance, but the “expert,” Anthony Fauci, currently supported gain-of-function research. I now see he hasn’t publicly stated he supports gain-of-function research since at least 2018.
Anthony Fauci’s current position seems to be that if the NHI has a meeting to declare that research in a paper that Fauci mailed his colleagues in a PDF titled “Baric, Shi et al—Nature medicine—SARS Gain of function” isn’t gain of function, it’s not gain of function research.
In such an environment it’s pretty hard to take public statements about whether he supports gain of function research at face value.
Focusing on what opinions Fauci holds in print also ignores his importance of actually directing research funding toward gain of function research within NIAID. As long as that happens, it would make sense to count him as supporting gain of function research.
Anthony Fauci’s current position seems to be that if the NHI has a meeting to declare that research in a paper that Fauci mailed his colleagues in a PDF titled “Baric, Shi et al—Nature medicine—SARS Gain of function” isn’t gain of function, it’s not gain of function research.
In such an environment it’s pretty hard to take public statements about whether he supports gain of function research at face value.
Focusing on what opinions Fauci holds in print also ignores his importance of actually directing research funding toward gain of function research within NIAID. As long as that happens, it would make sense to count him as supporting gain of function research.