Comment Re:Asimov - fiction to fact? (Score 1) 293
Fair point J,
i would argue though, that, though horrible tragedys occurred due to some of those people you mentioned, as a whole, humanity has managed to keep trundling along. it made a hell of difference to the individuals involved, but economies still continued to run, people around the world still gave birth, died etc.
i guess i'm simply arguing that if you look on a grand enough scale (asimovs thousands of planets with multi billions of people), even losing a planet is a relativly small event. (no comfort for those involved though, of course!)
conversely, what if Einstein hadn't discovered relativity? as a physics graduate, i can't help thinking that maybe, as all science is built on what came before ("standing on the shoulders of giants" as Newton once said), then someone else would have just discovered it instead. maybe not for 50-100 years later, perhaps, but someone would have, and whats 50 years later in the timescales asimov was dealing with?
lastly, the thing with GM foods (not wanting to get off topic too much) - it's just a perfect example of the frankenstein effect; angry villagers persecuting the scientist for altering the natural course of things.... but thats another story. yeah, people have accepted robots thus far - but wait until a resonable level of artificial sentience is achieved, and watch most people panic and change their minds...
i would argue though, that, though horrible tragedys occurred due to some of those people you mentioned, as a whole, humanity has managed to keep trundling along. it made a hell of difference to the individuals involved, but economies still continued to run, people around the world still gave birth, died etc.
i guess i'm simply arguing that if you look on a grand enough scale (asimovs thousands of planets with multi billions of people), even losing a planet is a relativly small event. (no comfort for those involved though, of course!)
conversely, what if Einstein hadn't discovered relativity? as a physics graduate, i can't help thinking that maybe, as all science is built on what came before ("standing on the shoulders of giants" as Newton once said), then someone else would have just discovered it instead. maybe not for 50-100 years later, perhaps, but someone would have, and whats 50 years later in the timescales asimov was dealing with?
lastly, the thing with GM foods (not wanting to get off topic too much) - it's just a perfect example of the frankenstein effect; angry villagers persecuting the scientist for altering the natural course of things.... but thats another story. yeah, people have accepted robots thus far - but wait until a resonable level of artificial sentience is achieved, and watch most people panic and change their minds...
