question 28

cnn debates

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• cnn
• debates

[CountArtha]

Kennedy had a lot more money lying around than our next President will have.

[bagtaggar]

"Let's worry about Earth, then worry about Space!"

This is the sort of short sighted, small minded thinking that gets a species extinct. Space exploration and infrastructure may very well be the only thing capable of saving this planet as well as it's population.

Because you can't connect 'up there' to 'down here' in your heads is a limitation of your own imaginations. Study history and you'll see it's filled with idiots like you lot at every major discovery.

[OrnluWolfjarl]

no one thinks about exploiting natural resources from other planets and the asteroid field between mars and zeus? if the technologies were created, we could have huge profits from such endeavours and not to mention that creating extraterrestrial colonies can save the human species in case of a disaster. It's also being discussed of reducing polution in earth by sending chemical and nuclear waste in uninhabitable planets (e.g. gas giants)

[bevy300Gamer]

i do plan on sending an american to mars by 2020

[RoronoaZoro222]

@jmxgen I was just about to reply since this was originally started by my comment, but I see you thoroughly wiped the floor with him in this little comment debate already, good job :)

[jmxgen]

@bbphnix

"but the best solution is this: digitize everything; then there's no need for books at all;"

I hope you're aware that electronics-related pollution is considered by large swaths of environmentalists to be a quite a compelling problem. After taking that into consideration, your solution creates nearly as many environmental problems as it solves.

The bottom line is: if you want modern comforts and high standards of living, you need to alter the natural world to do it.

[jmxgen]

@bbphnix

"because that's what the natural form of Mars is;"

Doesn't matter. Spreading organic life to other planets is a far more compelling interest than preserving a giant red lump of dust in its 'natural' state - as a giant red lump of dust.

[jmxgen]

@bbphnix

"those things can be achieved in a more nature-friendly way;"

Like many other people, I don't care about what's best for nature. First and foremost, I'm interested in improving living standards for sentient beings, such as humans. Preserving things in their 'natural' state is only a worthy or laudable goal to the extent that it benefits sentient beings.

As soon as it is cheaper, easier, or in our interest to change the natural into the unnatural (for our benefit) it should be done.

[jmxgen]

@bbphnix

"those things [modern comforts, high standards of living] can be achieved in a more nature-friendly way;"

They probably COULD be, but at a certain cost. Producing things that are eco-friendly is typically more costly than producing things the conventional way. This means the scarce scientific and financial resources of a people would be misdirected toward activities that don't increase living standards, in place of producing more things people want (which increases living standards).

[bbphnix]

@jmxgen well, actually I am studying to be a genetic engineer... so I could contribute to realizing that view of the world that I just described...so yeah pigs just might fly

"and it's responsible for our modern comforts and high standard of living."

those things can be achieved in a more nature-friendly way; much more; that's the things with technology, it's our invention we can make it anyway we want, including good with us and nature at the same time

[jmxgen]

@bbphnix

"if I could shape the world into my own view..."

If pigs could fly...

"if I could shape the world into my own view, I would genetically engineer organisms that could produce many needed substances without the need of exploiting nature..."

There's nothing wrong with 'exploiting' nature when doing so makes people's lives better. That's what we've been doing since the dawn of civilization, and it's responsible for our modern comforts and high standard of living.