Pointless idiocy

[Serilliant]

These posts have been split from On the ethics of trait selection in human offspring (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=16925&page=3)

[Rebellion]

Wow, you took a slippery slope argument, which by the way is a bad thing already, and removed the slope entirely leaving just a precipice.
You can take your metaphorical precipice and shove it up your--
Yeah. Anyways. I wasn't saying I was for it: just look at everyone else who wanted to "improve" humanity. Example set.


Well done, this is mangled logic on a truly epic scale.
Yep.


Leave it up to fate and do nothing? You almost certainly don't believe that in other aspects of utilizing technology. What makes this different? Because the choice is made early? Because it's new? There were many in the past (and some frighteningly in the present) who don't believe in medicine, or certain areas of medical treatment, because they'd prefer to leave it up to fate (or God, or what or who ever). If you're part of that group, then your opinion is consistent. Considering you are 1) Using a computer and 2) Not dead, I suspect that you are not.
I AM one of those people.
I'm just lucky, I guess.


"Might as well screw around sometime" doesn't seem consistent with the remainder of the argument, if you can call it that. If we might as well screw around, why not do this? The devil may care nature of this statement doesn't jive with a reverence for fate.
What I meant was just let fate take its course, even though it sucks. It my own nonsense-ish statement. And the part about screwing around was actually quite literal.


Finally, the idea that something is bound to fail seems a very bad reason not to try, especially when the idea that it is bound to fail is based on nothing but naked pessimism. I have no idea of the rates of error, but unless they're extremely bad (which I doubt modern medicine and science would accept), the practice as a whole is likely an efficient one. Not to mention, any "errors" could probably be detected and aborted. Obviously some people are going to have a problem with that, but I don't care and this topic doesn't care.
Okay. ;) We'll go with that.

[Visla Eraclaire]

So you're telling me that you have never ingested medication, bound a wound, or engaged willingly in any sort of medical treatment? Or do you just draw an arbitrary line somewhere?

Also if "fate" exists (which amusingly, I believe, but in a profoundly different way than you, evidently), what about those people who have used these sorts of treatments? How do you account for that? Were they fated to do so? If so, then is using the treatment really defying fate? All fate-based arguments fall apart when they try to become normative. Either you can defy fate, in which case, fate doesn't really MEAN anything, or you can't, and thus no normative statements can be derived from any belief in fate.

I get the distinct impression that you hold your beliefs rather flippantly and thus will have no satisfactory answer to this, or don't care to argue. All the same, I enjoy pointing these things out, and it remains in the vein of the topic because you have presented it as an ethical argument against the object of the topic.

[Rebellion]

Draw that line, mostly. Personally, I just don't like medicine because I would rather deal with my bodily problems myself. I have no issues with medicine itself, its me taking it which is the issue.
Guess I'm just a pessimist then. c:
Yeah, I do hold my beliefs rather flippantly, as you say. *shrugs* Since I'm not a homosexual deaf embryo, you're right that I don't care enough to argue as well.
Well, thats done. Anyone else, or is that it?

[Visla Eraclaire]

You are living the unexamined life, and that's a damned shame. People shouldn't believe things that they can't explain.

[Godhand]

And on the whole improving humanity thing, I have one word for you:
Genocide.
Think 'bout it.

Did I call it or what?

[Winterhair]

Your disregard of the actual basis for the argument of 'improving humanity' is... sad. To say the least.

Genocide does not improve humanity, in fact it takes away from the genetic differences that are necessary in order to side-step the issue of inbreeding. If genocide was for the betterment of human kind, and we went ahead and did what was 'good', we would create a gentic bottleneck and be fucked. Cheetah's are currently in a bottleneck because their populations are so low, and the birthrate is horrendous among the race, much less their flourishing population is broken and they could become extinct anytime due to the bottleneck.

How, in any form or fashion, was any of the conversation currently being discussed along the lines of 'genocide is good'?

Wow.
I never said genocide was good. I said look at people in the past who have wanted to "improve humanity"--and yes, I know, its not just them but whatever--and have ended up slaughtering thousands in the name of their cause. They gave it another word; cleansing, I think? Purging, eradicating, blah blah blah. Pick a word that deals with getting rid of a bug or virus and you got it. "Oh we'z are'z soooooo unclean. I knowz! Here, takes dis gunz and go make us cleanz again!" "Yizzer!" And on and on.
Thats why I said think about it. I guess that was too much to ask for.
I don't rant. And I'm not much a debater myself--because I don't care enough about anything, really. to debate about it. So, I hold my "beliefs rather fliippantly" because in reality, I have no beliefs. Sure, I've got your pro-choice crap up the yin yang, but you won't see me fight anti-abortion riots in the street either. As for medicine, well, if worst came to worst I'd chug it down the same as the next idiot. I don't like it, but I'm not stupid either. So if you reeeeeeaaaaaaalllllllllly have such an issue with, as Visla put, my "devil may care attitude", feel free to PM me with your whiny complaints and "PWNED!" comments.
Otherwise, this is going to turn into one big buttfest of "OMG he said gencide is gewd!?" and "Wow, ur opinion sux dood."

[Godhand]

Saying you "don't really care" is a pretty good way of covering your ass after posting a pants-on-head retarded argument or opinion.

Fuckwad: Life sucks lol let's all go back to the mudhuts because YOU CAN'T FIGHT CITY HALL!!11
Visla: You're wrong and stupid.
Fuckwad: CALM DOWN I DON'T REALLY CARE!!11!

[Winterhair]

CALM DOWN GODHAND I DON'T REALLY CARE NYA!!11!
Thats what I've been saying from the start, if you'd care to listen. Not "I don't care"--but just let life flow, and go with it, rather than worry about the little things like homosexual deaf embryos. You aren't one, right? If so, please let me know right now. I'm so sorry I offended you.
Mwahahahaha i'm so witty. [/sarcasm, for the idiots.]
EDIT: There's been a page of this crap. Whatever's said, I'm done.

[Godhand]

I know that's what you've been saying from the start, you fucking dolt; that's why I'm making fun of you.

[Winterhair]

CALM DOWN GODHAND I DON'T REALLY CARE NYA!!11!
Ain't it?

[Godhand]

Way to delete your post you shitweasel.

[Winterhair]

Teehee.

[Serilliant]

I think it's fairly clear why these posts have been snipped away and what is inappropriate about them. If you agree, you're dismissed. For the rest of you:

If you want to have a discussion with another member unrelated to the topic of a thread, take it to private messages. Bantering back and forth about "laissez faire" attitudes was not relevant to the discussion.

Second, flaming another member because of their beliefs -- regardless of how unrelated to the thread they were -- is inappropriate. If you feel that a member is 'spamming', you should contact a moderator or administrator who will then take care of the situation appropriately. Under no circumstances is it acceptable to openly insult another member, or to resort to petty, childish, schoolyard name-calling.